1.
Gender Issues affecting
health of WOMEN

2.
Definition
“Gender refers to the
socially constructed
characteristics of
women and men-
such as the norms,
roles and
relationships that
exist between them”
WHO

3.
Gender means the state of being
male or female or a transgender
referring to the roles the person
play in the society based on the
sex of the person or personal
identification of one's own
gender.

4.
Distinction between Gender and Sex
• In ordinary speech, “sex” and “gender” are
often used interchangeably.
• As discussed, “gender” refers to the state of
being male or female or a transgender
defined by the social roles and individual’s
identification whereas, “sex” is classified on
the basis of their reproductive organs and
functions.

5.
Gender Issue
India
in
International Arena

6.
Measures of Gender Equality
• There are over 300 different indicators used to measure the
gender equality, as well as number of important indices.
• The most prominent index of gender equality used are:
1. Human Development Index (HDI) by United Nations
Development Program
2. Gender Equality Index by Social Watch
3. Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) by United
Nations Development Program
4. Global Gender Gap Index by World Economic Forum
5. Social Institutions and Gender Index by Organization
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Center
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measures_of_gender_equality

7.
• India ranks 131 in 2017 among 188 countries
by UNDP in terms of the Human Development
Index (HDI)
– The Human Development Index (HDI) is a
statistical tool used to measure a country's overall
achievement in its social and economic
dimensions.
– The social and economic dimensions of a country
are based on the life expectancy, Education and
Per capita income.
Source: http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/HDI

8.
• India is ranked 125 of 159 countries
in the Gender Inequality Index (GII)
2016 UNDP report.
–The Gender Inequality Index (GII) is an
index for measurement of gender
disparity done by UNDP based on
three dimensions
• Reproductive health
• Empowerment
• Labor market participation
Source: http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/gender-inequality-index-gii

9.
• According to Social Watch 2012 report, India
ranks 145 out of 168 in Gender Equality Index.
• The Gender Equity Index (GEI) measures the
gap between women and men in
– Education,
– Economy, and
– Political empowerment.
Source: http://www.socialwatch.org

10.
• According to World Economic Forum’s report
in 2016, India ranks 87 out of 144 countries on
Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI).
• The GGGI is measured on
– Economic participation and opportunity
– Education
– Health and survival
– Political Empowerment
Source: eports.weforum.org/global-gender-gap-report-2016/rankings/

11.
• According to Organization for Economic Co-
operation and Development (OECD) 2012
report, India ranks 96 of 102 non-OECD
countries in the Social Institution and Gender
• Key indicators for measuring SIG
– Education
– Health Status
– Economic
– Political Participation
Source: http://www.oecd.org/dev/development-
gender/theoecdsocialinstitutionsandgenderindex.htm

12.
WHERE ARE WE
NOW????
Some Important Indicators

13.
Sl No Key Indicators Male Female
1 Education
a. Literacy and Education (2011 Census) 82.14% 65.5%
b. Population (female) age 6 years and above who
ever attended school (%) (NFHS 4 2016)
68.8%
c. Women with 10 or more years of schooling (%)
(NFHS 4 2016)
35.7%
2. Health Status
a. Life Expectancy at Birth 62.6 64.2
b. MMR (RGI (SRS) 2007-09, 2010-12) 178/
100000
c. Mothers who had full antenatal care (%) (NFHS 4) 21%

14.
Sl No Key Indicators Male Female
3 Woman Empowerment
a. Currently married women who usually participate in
household decisions (%) (NFHS 4 2016)
84%
b. Parliament Seats 73.2% 26.8%
c. Law Enforcement (Women Police)
(Source: http://indianexpress.com dated: March 28,2017)
92.9% 7.1%
4 Economic
a. Women who worked in the last 12 months who
were paid in cash (%) (NFHS 4 2016)
24.6%
b. Woman Labor Force Participation
(Source: International Labour Organization, Global Employment Trends 2013:
Recovering from a Second Jobs Dip)
28%

15.
Key Issues
affecting the
health of
Women in India

16.
1. Gender differences in Education
Education is critical to social and economic
development and has a profound impact on
health of an individual.
• Education is not wise attained by Indian women.
Although literacy rates are increasing, female literacy
rate lags behind the male literacy rate.
• The Male literacy rate is 82.14% and Female literacy
rate is 65.46% according to Census 2011.
• An underlying factor for such low literacy rates are
parents' "perceptions that education for girls are a
waste of resources as their daughters would eventually
live with their husbands’ families and they will not
benefit directly from the education investment.

17.
2. Gender Differences in participation in public
Health
– Awareness about health problems and how to
treat them
• In developing countries, men seek treatment more
frequently at formal health services, whereas women
are more likely to self-treat or use alternative therapies.
• The lower social status of women influences how
society responds when they are affected by
stigmatizing illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS, leprosy,
tuberculosis, and mental illness.

18.
3. Gender differences in economic
opportunities
– Over 50% of Indian labour is employed in
agriculture. A majority of rural men work as
cultivators, while a majority of women work in
livestock maintenance, egg and milk production.
– There is wage inequality between men and
women in India
– The largest wage gap was in manual ploughing
operations in 2009, where men were paid ₹ 103
per day, while women were paid ₹ 55 (WAGE RATES IN RURAL
INDIA (2008-09) Labour Bureau, MINISTRY OF LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT, Govt of India (2010)
–

19.
4. Gender differences in Political Participation