Women’s Reproductive Autonomy

Context:

World Population Day is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to putting individual rights, particularly women’s rights related to reproductive autonomy at its core.

About Reproductive Autonomy:

• Reproductive Autonomy  means trusting women as autonomous beings, able to take control over their sexual and reproductive lives and to make decisions on these matters on the basis of access to adequate information. 
• A woman’s right to reproductive autonomy is often impaired because of her status in society. 

Conditions for Population Stability:

• Population stability comes when reproductive and sexual health decisions are free of discrimination, coercion and violence.
• Reproductive and sexual health services are affordable, acceptable, accessible and of high quality, and that women and couples are supported to have the number of children they want, when they want them.

Impact of Government Programs:

• Life expectancy at birth has significantly increased in the country over the years. Compared to the 1990s, Indians are currently living a decade longer. 
• In terms of maternal health, India has made impressive strides. 
• The current rate of maternal mortality is 97 (per 100,000 live births in a year), down from 254 in 2004.
• Since the beginning of 2000, India has cut the number of child marriages by half. 
• Teen pregnancies, too, have dramatically decreased.
•  Access to vital services, including health, education, and nutrition, has also improved.

Key Findings of (NFHS-5):

• According to the most recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), just 10% of women in India are independently able to make decisions about their own health.
• 11% of women believe that marital violence is acceptable if a woman refuses to have sex with her husband.
• Nearly half of all pregnancies in India are unplanned, as they are globally.

Importance of Gender Equality for Economy:

• Raising the women’s labor force participation by 10 percentage points might account for more than 70% of the potential GDP growth opportunity ($770 billion in additional GDP by 2025).

Ways to Promote Gender Equality:

• Promoting Investment: Gender equality can be ensured by making investments in a woman’s life at every stage, from childbirth to adolescence to maturity. 
• Engagement through Policy Making: Engaging with women, girls and other marginalized people and formulating legislation and policies that empower them to assert their rights and take life changing personal decisions are the first steps in this direction.

News Source: The Hindu