With increasing urbanization and economic development, globally women have been taking on more responsibility in the social and family structure, owing to the availability of better opportunities. However, the gender-based biases that exist in our health systems still appear to persist. These biases reduce women’s access to healthcare and once they do reach healthcare setups, they continue to face challenges in seeking appropriate healthcare for their symptoms. The gender-based health disparities are far greater than in resource-limited countries, where women often face far greater constraints in terms of accessibility and availability of healthcare. Over the past decade or so there is growing international interest and funding to address the unmet healthcare needs of women across the world. However, a lion’s share of the funding is directed towards reproductive health. While the focus on reproductive health is understandable given the appalling rates of incidence of maternal and neonatal deaths, it is crucial to remember, that women’s health comprises of a lot more than their reproductive health. Other health issues are also just as prevalent and require focused attention to ensure equitable allocation of resources to match the growing need for these interventions. Noncommunicable diseases, cancer, mental health issues, gender-based violence, and poor representation of women in leadership positions in health form a few of these issues. Our chapter focuses on these often neglected aspects of women’s health and makes an attempt to formulate possible solutions to ensure that women have better access to healthcare and that the healthcare systems are in a better position to address all the facets of women’s health.

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Global Health and Women: Looking Beyond Maternal Health

  • Sheila Nainan Myatra,
  • Gauri Raman Gangakhedkar,
  • Sukhada Savarkar

摘要

With increasing urbanization and economic development, globally women have been taking on more responsibility in the social and family structure, owing to the availability of better opportunities. However, the gender-based biases that exist in our health systems still appear to persist. These biases reduce women’s access to healthcare and once they do reach healthcare setups, they continue to face challenges in seeking appropriate healthcare for their symptoms. The gender-based health disparities are far greater than in resource-limited countries, where women often face far greater constraints in terms of accessibility and availability of healthcare. Over the past decade or so there is growing international interest and funding to address the unmet healthcare needs of women across the world. However, a lion’s share of the funding is directed towards reproductive health. While the focus on reproductive health is understandable given the appalling rates of incidence of maternal and neonatal deaths, it is crucial to remember, that women’s health comprises of a lot more than their reproductive health. Other health issues are also just as prevalent and require focused attention to ensure equitable allocation of resources to match the growing need for these interventions. Noncommunicable diseases, cancer, mental health issues, gender-based violence, and poor representation of women in leadership positions in health form a few of these issues. Our chapter focuses on these often neglected aspects of women’s health and makes an attempt to formulate possible solutions to ensure that women have better access to healthcare and that the healthcare systems are in a better position to address all the facets of women’s health.