Addressing Empowerment in the Context of Low-Resource Communities In Mumbai, India
While searching to gain a deeper understanding of women’s health in Mumbai, I came across an article that examined women’s health in relation to women’s empowerment. As someone interested in women’s empowerment from a Western perspective, I was curious to learn more about the elements composing empowerment in the East, specifically in Mumbai, India.
“Women Empowerment and its Differential Impacts on Health and Low-Income Communities in Mumbai India,” written by David and colleagues, shares qualitative and quantitative findings that illustrate the impact of empowerment on women’s health. The article analyzes different socio-cultural norms relating to women’s health and pregnancy perceptions. The findings of this article provide information crucial to developing effective health interventions in low-resource areas. Interventions targeting women’s health through empowerment must acknowledge the complexities and multi-dimensional nature of empowerment itself and should further study the interaction of empowerment and current socio-cultural norms of respective communities.
Researchers conducted a survey on a sample of 260 married women living in northeastern Mumbai, asking them how frequently they experience physical pain related to general health and pregnancy-related health. This survey revealed that many women experience general health and pregnancy related health frequencies quite often. Some of the most reported symptoms were lower back ache, headache, anemia, and dizziness (from general and pregnancy related health data). Afterward, women were interviewed regarding their perceptions of empowerment, multiple personal accounts from the interviews were shared as examples throughout the article. Some women reported that they had little control over their bodies and decisions, saying that their husbands often determine when they will engage in sexual intercourse without considering the wife’s perspective. Other reports share that some husbands consider their wife’s opinions regarding financial or household decision-making.
Their findings on the elements that compose empowerment encompass three major themes: control over the body, control over decisions/finances, and access to community/mobility. Results emphasize that more empowered women are more likely to experience general health problems. While this concept may seem confusing, it is important to understand that the empowerment itself is not creating more instances of health issues, rather the interaction of empowerment and social norms creates health conflicts. This is not to say that the three concepts related to empowerment should be discounted, rather they must be introduced in a way that coincides with current community norms, if at all possible.
The article shared in-depth explanations of social norms and customs, which are centered around the importance of birthing a child. Their analysis highlights an existing gap between general and pregnancy health outcomes. Explaining that oftentimes, husbands and in-laws will only expend time and resources on pregnant wives to ensure the successful delivery of a child, discounting the mother’s individual health needs. Women often feel as though they must minimize their own health concerns in order to sustain peace in their family when they are not carrying a child. Whether in agreement or disagreement with this concept, challenging these attitudes may result in conflict.
It is essential to consider that interventions, including elements of empowerment, must be handled with extreme care and consideration, not further endanger an already vulnerable population. While it is seemingly acceptable to endorse women’s empowerment, it must be done in a way that demonstrates respect for prevailing cultural norms, provided that researchers are sincerely committed to understanding the context in which these beliefs have evolved. It is imperative to engage in advocacy that genuinely serves the betterment of the respective communities.
Check out the article here:
Moonzwe Davis, L., Schensul, S. L., Schensul, J. J., Verma, R. K., Nastasi, B. K., & Singh, R. (2014). Women’s empowerment and its differential impact on health in low-income communities in Mumbai, India. Global public health, 9(5), 481–494. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2014.904919
