
The Importance of Women’s Access to Health Care Zoe Bartlome, 2/24/2023
Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought light to the shortcomings of global health care. Many populations have suffered from the outcome of the pandemic, including many women and young girls. Their essential health care access is being actively deprioritized, and in some places completely cut off. Many funds were directed away from women and girls health to services more targeted towards COVID-19. Due to this, there is a lack of awareness on the basis of women’s health, which has led to major funding gaps within women’s healthcare. The underfunding of women's health research means that many diseases and challenges experienced by women will remain unaddressed and unchanged.
Economic Factors
It is proven that a woman throughout her lifetime will require more health care than a man, but is also more likely to be poor. Health care costs will not only threaten a woman's health but her economic security. Women are more likely to have chronic conditions, mental health issues, the need for prescription drugs, and throughout her reproductive years more contact with medical providers. This means women generally face more costs. However on average, women have lower incomes than men, largely due to pay inequities. To stay financially secure many women routinely forgo needed care. Having cost as a barrier can be incredibly harmful to certain groups of women, like black women. Black women in comparison to white women are more likely to be diagnosed with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health
Sexual and reproductive ill-health accounts for about one-third of global disease among women of reproductive age, which presents urgency in the investment of women’s health. Last year during the pandemic it was reported by the UNFPA that 12 million women more specifically in poorer countries lost access to contraception. In result this led to 1.4 million unplanned pregnancies, and this is only going to worsen both socially and economically due to the climate crisis. Due to recent events of the overturning of Roe V. Wade, a woman's constitutional right to an abortion is abolished along with her right to privacy over her reproductive system. This will inevitably lead to even more issues just for a woman to get access to proper and necessary healthcare. This decision is absolutely devastating for women’s rights. Many women will suffer and die from turning to unsafe abortion alternatives, when they could have been treated and saved. Not only this but many women will die from complications of both birth and pregnancy. To be able to exercise basic human rights, women must be granted and allowed their right to make essential and decisions. This means they must be able to access information, education, and services. The lack of access to both sexual and reproductive health has a severe effect especially on women with economically disadvantageous backgrounds. This is why it is essential that governments must begin to increase their investment in health care systems to ensure that women and young girls have equal access to services all over the world. Any kind of investment in women’s health would consequently impact the investment in equal education opportunities. These opportunities would allow young girls to make well informed decisions on their sexual health. Healthy women improve the entire family dynamic, regarding family and community health outcomes. Healthy women also become much more economically productive and contribute to the overall wealth of their country. They also play an important and vital role in intergenerational progress, which in turn creates more opportunities for their children to create an impact on the future of society.
A study was conducted in Uganda that included adolescent girls, young women, individuals with essential roles at state level, and stakeholders. The results of this study indicated that adolescent girls as well as young women lack essential and important information regarding their sexual health. This includes what services are available to them if they experience such violations as sexual assault. It was reported that in the instances of sexual assault many young women and girls refrain from going to the police due to fear and stigma. The participants unanimously agreed that education and training were needed so that health services could improve and become available.
Examples of Violations
Violations of women’s health care services, including sexual and reproductive rights are quite frequent and these take on more than one form.
Denial of access to REQUIRED and NECESSARY services that only apply to women.
Poor quality of services; unprofessional, inadequate, and not taken seriously. This is often negligent and abusive care and/or treatment.
Lack of access to emergency contraceptives and safe abortion
Subjecting women to third party authorization in order to access services.
Nonconsensual services without prior consultation: Forced sterilization, forced virginity examinations, and forced abortion.
Female genital mutilation
Early marriage; early reproduction.
Sexual assault and gender-based violence.
Laws that require physicians to report women who seek post-abortion care.
Our Take
Divarity as an organization believes that women’s health is much more than female anatomy and our reproductive system. It’s more about unraveling and taking action against centuries of inequalities that have opposed women, and have created a patriarchal healthcare system. Now in my own personal experience, I like to believe I’ve been well educated on my body and the care it should/will need to receive. I find that to be an extreme privilege that I had a mom who didn’t stigmatize it and simply just taught it to me and all of its importance. However I find that many young women and girls not only in my community but all over the world haven’t been afforded the same education and information I have on their bodies. I think we need to do better not only in the direction of healthcare and education but in the way of relationships such as parenting. I believe the only way we can improve these circumstances is if we remove these stigmatized barriers we put up and talk about them to our children. I believe I benefitted for the better when my own mom told me openly and proudly about what I will experience as a woman. Her openness and fearlessness to speak on this topic removed a lot of the stigma I felt around me. I felt I was able to talk about it more freely when I had questions, or even just simply talking about it around my friends and family without any shame. I think this type of approach in healthcare and education can really create a positive impact on the overall well being of women all around the world. Having an open and judgment free conversation can make the difference.
Sources
Works Cited
McGranahan, Majel, et al. “Realising Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Adolescent Girls and Young Women Living in Slums in Uganda: A Qualitative Study.” Reproductive Health, vol. 18, no. 1, 12 June 2021, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-021-01174-z.
“OHCHR | Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.” OHCHR, www.ohchr.org/en/women/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights.
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