Women's Health and Gender Discrimination In India

Abstract

The greatest revolution in any country is the one that affects positively the lives of women, and there is no doubt that, if women are encouraged to realise their potential, that it’s not only their life which would be affected but the life and situation of the whole household which is the basic unit of our national economy. Women's health in India can be examined in terms of multiple indicators, which vary by geography, socio-economic standing and culture.

Women in India face a multitude of health problems and gender inequality is one of the reasons that play a major role in the health outcomes of women in India. Human development Report (United Nations report, 2011) indicates that India is one of the worst countries in the world and ranked 132 out of 187 in terms of gender inequality. In 2005 India enacted the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) with a clear set of measurable objectives, like Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Total Fertility Rate (TFR), and targets for National Disease Control Programmes (NDCP) in addition to create universal access to public health services and also balance the gender ratio.

 The present paper focuses on the achievements of Odisha through NRHM by presenting the primary  data(Bolangir,Odisha ,India). There is a significant improvement in rate of decline of IMR, MMR and TFR. In addition the present study also examines gender disparities in nutritional status and concludes that women are more malnourished than male.