Poverty, Opression, and Maternal Mortality
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The World Health Organization estimates that 1,500 women die from pregnancy or childbirth related complications every day. Ninety-nine percent of those women reside in developing countries. The oppression and devaluation of women in developing countries is a major factor in this sobering statistic. Despite programs and initiatives that have been created by a number of international organizations (for example the WHO and UN), maternal health continues to be a burgeoning issue in the fight for women’s equality.
What social issues affect the health of women developing countries? How do you feel about the approach and effectiveness of intervention programs described in Half the Sky? Drawing from these and other examples you may have found, what is the next step in reducing the maternal mortality rate in developing countries?
There are a variety of social issues that affect the health of women in developing countries. I believe one of the major issues is being in a poor, rural area. Being poor leads to a lack of medical attention, whether sick or in an emergency, and the inability to buy medicine for the prevention or curing of any illness. Like many of the stories depicted in Half the Sky, many of the women were poor and had a hard time gathering enough money to be simply transported to the closest hospital, which is why living in a rural area can be a social issue as well. Another major social issue that affects the health of women, as discussed in Half the Sky, would be a lack of education. In the book, the authors explained that education is associated with an increased use of hospitals as well as being more likely to accumulate savings, which in return makes living less poor and more medical options available.
ReplyDeleteIn Half the Sky, the authors discussed a movement that was started to raise money for the UNFPA, which I found to be one of the best approaches to raise awareness/money and also very effective. Jane Roberts started this movement and all it took to blossom was a letter to her local newspaper! Then, with one more proactive and concerned woman who sent a letter out in response to an article discussing the same issue, the UNFPA was soon flooded with mail donations. Their approach to this intervention was ideal because it was very simple and reached a large amount and wide range of people. It also proved to be very effective since the two women were able to later come together and form the campaign called, 34 Million Friends of UNFPA, and even the President decided to restore funding for UNFPA.
There are programs, groups and associations that have been established to help prevent women from having issues before and during pregnancy that could lead to a high maternal mortality rate, which is very important to prevent more deaths of women. However, I think that to ensure a reduction of the maternal mortality rate in developing countries a focus is needed on the hospitals that serve women during or after labor. Fistula hospitals, for example, would be a great place that an association could be established to raise awareness/money for. Instead of putting most efforts in the prevention of these deaths, which is still very important and necessary, the present conditions of women could be focused on to immediately save lives. In addition, there will always be women in need of medical attention due to pregnancy or childbirth issues, as discussed in the book, so why not focus on saving more lives immediately.
The women in developing countries are predominantly poor with no education. Their life is having children but because of this their health is severely put in danger. Women do not go to hospitals because of money issues, for example in the novel and man wanted to drive away after the birth of his child in order to not pay for the service. Many births are assisted by "traditional birth attendants "who acquire their skills through experience and apprenticeship,rather than through the formal training and make mistakes during delivery such as in “Half the Sky” when the attendant sat on the blocked cervix.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of what is being done is very effective and helping many women. I liked the UNFPA movement that was mentioned in “Half the Sky” because it helped raise money as well as awareness by creating a letter campaign explaining the issues of maternal mortality and asking for $1 from each recipient. Personally I think the best movements are ones that are simple and explain the severity of the issue well.
In order to reduce the maternal mortality rate in developing countries we need to teach the traditional birth attendants how to respond to minor complications and to recognize major complications during birth. I would also put an emphasis on prenatal care and awareness to prevent problems before the actual birth or to be prepared for a potentially difficult birth. If women are made aware of issues that may arise and have kept their child healthy within the womb there may be less issues during delivery. Also, increasing women's educations will reduce family size and education on sex and contraceptives will reduce birth rate as well as sexually transmitted diseases. Getting women as well as men jobs, potentially by increasing the tourism industry, will reduce birth rate and increase family income to pay for hospital services to aid in maternal mortality.
-Katie Beugger
Women in developing countries are continually oppressed and forced to live as third class citizens. They have generally have limited rights and lead very bleak lives. The men typically have all the power. This happens because of religious beliefs and because of trains of thought that have gone on for centuries. Women dying via child birth has been happening for centuries, but is happening on an extreme level in developing countries. The fact that women simply don't have rights is a social issue that could change to help prevent this. Like I said in my previous post, the freedom of religion in developing countries would give women the right to choose and would possibly prevent them from suffering.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of the UNFPA is a great one because it take aim at the issue by raising money and awareness about these issues. Maternal morality is an issue that the rest of the world needs to know about, and this movement helps that happen. 1500 women dying a die is a sobering statistic, and the UNFPA is educating the world. Education is the first step to correcting the issue.
In my opinion, I think more people simply need to know about the issue. I knew that women occasionally died during birth, but I had no idea that it was at this high of a level. Women need education and proper care for child birth. If more people throughout the world find out about this, more people will feel inclined to help.
After hearing some of the stories presented in the book and incidents I’ve seen in life I believe there are certain social issues that come up when dealing with women’s health during pregnancy around the world. Since ninety-nine percent of the victims reside in developing countries one main issue is poverty. It makes sense because these women can’t afford medical supplies needed to prevent disease or death during birth. A lot of them have to give birth in their houses because they cannot afford a taxi fare or a ride to a hospital. Some of the fees are not that expensive to afford but once again it goes to the simple fact that these women just don’t have enough funds even for a $15 ride into town. Another social issue that troubles these women is the lack of education. From the example of Prudence, if these women had better education (even a year or two more of schooling) it would lead to a desire for a lower family size, greater use of contraception, and increased use of hospitals. Some of these villages are still very traditional and don’t see the benefits and safety of having a child in a hospital. Education can also promote saving and seeing the benefits of saving up money. If a child being born becomes recognized and important then families can start setting aside money ahead of time if they have the intention of starting a family and save up for small things that a child will need. Birth complications reside mostly in developing countries but specifically in the rural areas. Even if some of these women are educated and poor there is still the issue of a lack of Health Care Systems. There is a lack of doctors in the developed areas because most if they come to Africa want to work in the capital. Dr. Pipi was a good doctor but he was overburdened with patients and always had a lack of supplies which made him very tired and irritable most of the time. There is not enough training programs offered so that people can become certified and continue to help in Africa. Many students get their MD’s after serving a year in Africa and then find jobs abroad leaving these villages with no form of training the locals. The lack of equality brings another social issue to the table. Little quotes kept coming up through the chapters saying things like, “what if a guy was ignored basic health care every time he performed his reproductive function?” This is saying we are almost looking away from basic rights for women to give birth. Most of these problems women face are curable and can be avoided if they were given basic needs like medicines and treatments when they underwent a pregnancy. It would be a world-wide crisis if men got sick and died after they had sex and no one really wanted to help.
ReplyDeleteThe intervention programs are the first step into solving this crisis. One fact that was pointed out was as late as 1920, America had a maternal mortality rate equivalent to poor parts in Africa today. This shows that it is a major problem but with these intervention programs in place giving more of the local people the authority to administer safety I feel that it is working and will continue to empower more and more victims. These programs are helping people at the base of the problem. People can come in for a year and help but when they leave they leave nothing behind that helps the community. By getting these people educated and certified it leaves a much greater invest for the community to be able to strive to help their friends and family.
I feel the best way to combat these problems is drawing back to the importance of education. Making a better health care system will help but it will make people depend on the system. By educating people it empowers them to build the system and improve on the system as they go through the process. Funding educational programs at a young age can help divert problems like the girl that jumped on her friends belly to get the baby out. Also, education will bring awareness to the inequality that goes on directly and indirectly.
I don't necessarily think that where women are in these developing counties suffer due to social status as much as merely the health conditions throughout the country. The UNFPA movement has begun to bring awareness to this as they have begun to raise money through various campaigns. I think the majority of that money needs to go to making living conditions better. It also could possibly help to develop special housing for women who are pregnant. If women are taken care of and live in special areas which have proper water and sewage that could greatly help to keep the numbers of death down in these impoverished areas of the world.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main problems facing women in other countries is that they value men more than women. Women do not get the same treatment in any aspect especially medically. One example is Prudence, a woman who lost her child, is not given medical attention because the family can only raise 20 of the 100 dollars. The doctor says that if it was a man the family would sell off items until they have the money. Even after the authors offer the money the doctor waits until the morning to do the operation. She died three days later. It is outrageous the amount of women that lose their lives during child birth. Another point that is brought up is lack of education. People do not know, think, or waste the money to take women to the hospital for child birth even though this could drastically cut down on deaths. Other cultures do not have the knowledge or use of proper contraceptives that could help them plan pregnancies allowing them to be more financially prepared.
ReplyDeleteOne of the programs the book talks about is the UNFPA, which is a great program. They are bringing the issues and hardships these women face to the general public and are raising money for the cause. Another great place is the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital that was founded by Catherine and Reg. Catherine is a gifted surgeon and has dedicated her life to helping women who have complications resulting from child birth. Both of these organizations have done a lot to help women who are experiencing complications due to childbirth. They have done a lot to not only help the women, but also to raise awareness and money. People cannot give money to causes unless they are aware of them.
I think the main thing we can do to improve the situation is to educate. Educate the women so they know what to expect and the importance of seeking medical attention in time. I also think these women should be introduced to contraceptives. If they are prepared for a child and can afford not only to provide for the child, but also afford any medical complications that may arise. Along with educating the women of these countries the general public needs to be aware of what is going on. At one point in the book the author points out that people are more willing to give money to an individual than a general cause. Allow people to hear the stories of the different women. The more people become aware the more help they can give whether it be money and supplies or volunteering.
What social issues affect the health of women developing countries? How do you feel about the approach and effectiveness of intervention programs described in Half the Sky? Drawing from these and other examples you may have found, what is the next step in reducing the maternal mortality rate in developing countries?
ReplyDeleteThe main social issues affecting the health of women in developing countries are lack of education, an inability to pay for proper care, and the difficulties in getting care to remote areas.
Lack of education has negative impacts on many levels. Without it, women don't have access to the idea that things can be done safer. They don't come across ideas and opportunities such as prenatal care and doctors trained in safe birthing practices. Education also improves a woman's status and she's less likely to be left uncared for in the case of birth complications.
It is incredibly rare that a women going into labor in a poor area will be taken to a hospital. Her husband knows it will cost money, and giving birth in the village is how it’s always been done. There are very few programs out there that can provide free or low cost care to large numbers of people, and without that, the woman’s worth isn’t equal to the financial output.
The remote location of many of the villages in developing countries is an issue that cries out for a program that trains and places doctors within a day’s trek of many villages. By providing improved access to medical personnel for both prenatal and labor care, the number of women saved could be huge. This is one of those programs that needs extensive planning and a secure source of funds. I’ve heard of programs being developed like this but the money for them gets stuck in the bottleneck found so often in developing countries.
I agree with my classmates above. I’m impressed by the support generated by the women for UNFPA. Normally UN programs are generally too broad and too top down to really make the difference they’re aiming for, but the difference they’ve made is still needed, and larger than many small organizations can do on their own. I was also impressed with Allan Rosenfield and his AMDD. To step up at that time, before anyone else had really forced the issue, and work to bring the truth to light was something great.
There are so many things that need to change to cut down on maternal mortality that I still feel education, access to family planning, and helping women empower themselves through microcredit job loans and career training are the answer in the long run. Raising a woman’s status in the community makes it harder to discard them or demean them. It gives them a voice, and the best ideas for fixing the major issues will come from them. They live these things every day. We’re just reading about them.