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Need for Integration of Gender Equity in Family Planning Services

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Need for Integration of Gender Equity in Family Planning Services Review Article Indian J Med Res 140 (Supplement), November 2014, pp 147-151 Need for integration of gender equity in family planning services Suneela Garg & Ritesh Singh* Department of Community Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi & *Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine & JNM Hospital, WBUHS, Kalyani, India Received May 31, 2014 The family planning programme of India has shown many significant changes since its inception five decades back. The programme has made the contraceptives easily accessible and affordable to the people. Devices with very low failure rate are provided free of cost to those who need it. Despite these significant improvements in service delivery related to family planning the programme cannot be said to achieve success at all levels. There are many issues with the family planning services available through the public health facilities in India. Failure to adopt the latest technology is one of these. But the most serious drawback of the programme is that it has never been able to bridge the gap between the two genders related to contraceptives. The programme gave emphasis to women-centric contraceptive and thus women were seen as their clients. The choice to adopt a contraceptive though is ‘cafeteria approach’ in family planning lexicon; it is the choice of the husband that is ultimately practiced. There is not enough dialogue between husband and wife and husband and health worker to discuss the use of one contraceptive over another. The male gender needs to be taken in confidence while promoting the family planning practice. The integration of gender equity is to be done carefully so as not to make dominant gender more powerful. Only when there is equity between genders while using family planning services the programme will achieve success. Key words Contraceptives - equity - family planning - gender - sex - sex-ratio Introduction is true for family planning practices followed in Despite the world population crossing seven homes. Although delivery and accessibility of family billion and having almost equal number of women planning services in India have improved greatly as men, the status of women in society has not since its inception in 1952; gender inequality, rooted improved much over the years particularly in low- in cultural norms, continues to cause poor family and medium- income countries1. The much talked planning practices nation-wide. This paper describes about gender equity is still to show good effects. The the current scenario of gender imbalance in family decision makers in many societies are still the men. planning practices in India and stresses upon the need The decisions are usually forced upon the females of integrating gender equity in future family planning of the home and they are not given any choice. This policies of the nation. 147 148 INDIAN J MED RES, NOVEMBER (SUPPL.) 2014 Understanding gender and gender roles women, to plan their lives without being overly subject to sexual and social imperatives5. Attempts to Gender is not same as sex. Gender refers to the control human reproduction are not entirely a modern economic, social, political, and cultural attributes, phenomenon. Throughout history, human beings opportunities, and constraints associated with being have engaged in various activities to control birth of a woman or girl, man or boy; sex refers simply to children like prolonging breast-feeding to delay the the biological and physical differences between men next conception. Family planning programmes as and women. Gender is currently recognized as a term organized efforts to give contraception services to men that reflects the complex social relations between and women were one of the major health and social men and women. Accepting biologically determined interventions started in second half the 20th century6. differences as being more unchangeable, the focus These programmes exist in almost all countries of the is on socially constructed roles that have developed world where around 99 per cent of the global population historically within and across cultures. Gender roles lives7. The rationales of any family planning programme and gender norms are culturally specific and thus are demographic, health and human rights. These were vary tremendously around the world. However, men mainly done to space births and maintain equilibrium and women differ substantially from each other in between resources and population size. But in many power, status and freedom, men having more power societies, population regulation practices did not bring than women in almost all societies. Women’s gender equivalent or beneficial results to everyone. roles give them some power but are more limited and mainly influenced by her culture, age, income In 1952, the Indian Government was one of the first and education. Gender roles can be divided into three in the world to formulate a national family planning types, reproductive roles mainly played by women programme. In the mid-sixties the Union Government because of their capacity to give birth and assuming introduced the method specific target for each State8. that child rearing is women’s job. Productive roles The State programmes were directed to meet these played by men though informal economic activities targets down to the lowest administrative level resulting considered not productive, yet contributing to society in workers over-reporting their work and coercing the are being conducted by women. Community roles can couples to use the sterilization, the terminal method again be divided in to cultural activities where women of contraception9. The MTP (medical termination of are supposed to take part actively and leadership and pregnancy) act of 1971 enabled women with unwanted political roles, where men plays significant roels. pregnancy to seek and obtain safe abortion services. Increasing concern about rapidly growing population Gender inequality through health indicators led to the Family Planning Programme being included A skewed distribution of health indicators is the as a priority sector programme during the Fifth Five characteristics of the nation since independence. It Year Plan10. The massive forceful sterilisation drive is seen in adverse sex ratio. The female to male ratio of 1976 resulted in eight million persons undergoing is decreasing every decade as shown in the census sterilisation11. The programme despite being renamed conducted every 10 years2. Female foeticide is rampant as family welfare programme in 197912 is detrimental and has been documented from all parts of India3. Less to women’s right and welfare. In 1992, the 72nd and 73rd number of women seeks health care compared to men. constitutional amendments and the Panchayati Raj and A girl child needs to have more episodes of diarrhoea Nagar Palika Acts decentralized the family welfare or more severe respiratory infection to see a health programme to the Panchayati Raj institutions13. In professional4. High stress levels among women lead to 1994, legislation was passed in Parliament to regulate increased vulnerability to behavioural problems. The and prevent the misuse of modern prenatal diagnostic health centres are not equipped enough to be women techniques, largely for sex-selective abortion14. The era friendly ranging from less women in health work force of Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) programme to lack of privacy at OPDs and wards. was started in 1997. It encompasses the principles of client satisfaction in delivering comprehensive Evolution of family planning programme in India and integrated high quality contraceptive services. Family planning refers to the use of various methods The National Population Policy of 2000 advocated a of contraception to regulate the number, timing, and holistic, multi-sectoral approach towards population spacing of child births. It allows couples, particularly stabilization, with no targets for specific contraceptive GARG & SINGH: GENDER EQUITY IN FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES 149 methods except for achieving a national average total contraception by couples. Though every three out of fertility rate (TFR) of 2.1 by the year 201015. This four couple using contraception are sterilized, majority resulted in a shift in implementation from centrally of users are females. The three National Family Health fixed targets to target-free dispensation through a Surveys (NFHS)21 show that female sterilization is on decentralized, participatory approach. The target- rise and male sterilization is on constant fall. Gender free approach was known as the community needs inequalities favour men and sexual and reproductive assessment approach. health decisions are usually made by them. In a study Current status of family welfare programme of of women in the slums and villages in Maharashtra, India male dependent methods accounted for less than 10 per cent of total contraceptive prevalence22. The family Analysis of the current situation shows that the planning programme relies mainly on women as clients. couple prefers small family, there is high knowledge The government is fascinated with high-technology of contraception, total fertility rate is declining and the contraceptives; relatively simple methods such as the use of contraceptive is increasing. Contraceptive use diaphragm/female condoms have received very little in India is characterized by the predominance of non- attention. In designing programmes, there is often a reversible methods, particularly female sterilization; lack of information about men’s
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