The Current Status of Women’s Health in India: Challenges and Indicators

When we talk about the health of a nation, we must begin by examining the health of its women. In India, where women constitute nearly half the population, their health status serves as a crucial barometer for social progress and development. Yet, despite significant strides in recent decades, millions of women continue to face persistent health challenges that affect not just their own wellbeing, but also the health of future generations. From maternal mortality to malnutrition, from workplace hazards to reproductive health issues, the landscape of women’s health in India presents both encouraging improvements and sobering realities that demand our attention.

Understanding health through numbers: key indicators 🔗

Health statistics tell powerful stories, and in India’s case, they reveal a journey of remarkable progress mixed with ongoing challenges. When we measure women’s health, we look at several critical indicators that paint a comprehensive picture of their wellbeing.

Maternal mortality: progress and persistent gaps 🔗

Perhaps no indicator speaks more directly to women’s health status than maternal mortality. The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) measures the number of women who die from pregnancy-related causes for every 100,000 live births. Think of it as a report card on how safely women can navigate pregnancy and childbirth in a given region.

India has made tremendous progress on this front. The MMR has declined from 130 per 100,000 live births in 2014-16 to 88 in 2021-23, representing a reduction of about 86% over the past three decades compared to the global reduction of 48%. This means that for every 100,000 babies born in India today, 88 mothers die from pregnancy-related complications-down from nearly 400 mothers just two decades ago.

However, these national averages hide significant regional disparities. States like Kerala and Andhra Pradesh have achieved MMR levels of 30, comparable to developed nations. Meanwhile, states like Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh continue to report much higher ratios, indicating that geography still plays a crucial role in determining a woman’s chances of surviving childbirth. Imagine two women, one in Kerala and one in Odisha-their maternal health outcomes could be dramatically different simply based on where they live.

Infant and child mortality: interconnected destinies 🔗

Women’s health and children’s health are inextricably linked. The infant mortality rate (IMR) has declined from 39 per 1,000 live births in 2014 to 27 in 2021, while under-five mortality has dropped from 45 to 31 per 1,000 live births during the same period. These improvements reflect better maternal health, improved nutrition, and enhanced healthcare access.

Consider this: when a mother is healthy and well-nourished during pregnancy, her baby has a significantly better chance of being born healthy and surviving those critical first years of life. This interconnection demonstrates why investing in women’s health is really an investment in the health of entire families and communities.

The nutrition challenge: a silent crisis 🔗

Behind many health indicators lies a fundamental issue that affects women across India: malnutrition. This isn’t just about not having enough food-it’s about not having the right nutrients at the right time.

Anemia: the invisible burden 🔗

Walk into any village in India, and you might notice women who appear tired, weak, or pale. Many are likely suffering from anemia-a condition where the blood lacks sufficient healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues. The prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age has actually increased from 53% in 2015-16 to 57% in 2019-21, meaning more than half of Indian women between ages 15 and 49 are anemic.

Why does this matter so much? Anemia during pregnancy increases the risk of maternal mortality, premature births, and low birth weight babies. It affects a woman’s ability to work, think clearly, and care for her family. The causes are multiple: inadequate dietary intake, iron loss during menstruation and pregnancy, and deficiencies in vitamins like B12 and folic acid.

Think of a farm worker who spends ten hours in the field, goes home to cook for her family, and rarely eats iron-rich foods herself. Her repeated pregnancies deplete her iron stores further, yet she may never receive proper diagnosis or treatment. This scenario plays out millions of times across India, particularly among women from disadvantaged communities who face both economic constraints and limited healthcare access.

The double burden of malnutrition 🔗

India faces a paradoxical nutrition situation. While undernutrition persists, overweight and obesity are simultaneously rising, creating what experts call a “double burden of malnutrition.” Some women don’t have enough to eat, while others consume calorie-dense but nutrient-poor diets that lead to obesity and related health problems. This dual challenge requires different interventions for different populations, making public health responses more complex.

Reproductive health: beyond motherhood 🔗

Reproductive health encompasses far more than pregnancy and childbirth. It includes access to family planning, menstrual health management, prevention and treatment of reproductive tract infections, and safe abortion services. Yet many women in India still lack access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare.

Nearly 50% of growth failure by age two is attributed to poor maternal nutrition between conception and childbirth, highlighting how a mother’s health before and during pregnancy fundamentally shapes her child’s development. When women don’t receive adequate antenatal care, don’t deliver in safe facilities, or lack access to postnatal services, both mother and baby face elevated health risks.

The good news is that institutional deliveries have increased from just 25% in 1993 to 89% in 2021, meaning most births now occur in healthcare facilities rather than at home. Programs like Janani Suraksha Yojana have incentivized institutional deliveries, particularly in rural areas. However, quality of care remains variable, and over a quarter of the poorest rural households still deliver at home.

Occupational hazards: the hidden health costs of women’s work 🔗

When we picture workers facing occupational health hazards, we might think of factory workers or construction laborers. But in India, millions of women face significant health risks through their work in agriculture and domestic labor-work that often goes unrecognized and unprotected.

Women in agriculture: unseen and unprotected 🔗

Women comprise a significant portion of India’s agricultural workforce, yet their health concerns remain largely invisible in policy discussions. Between 80-100 million Indian women have worked in agriculture over the past two decades, yet there is little evidence of this in policymaking.

Picture a woman working in rice fields, standing knee-deep in water for hours, her back bent in an awkward posture. She’s exposed to pesticides without protective equipment, carries heavy loads, works in extreme heat, and then returns home to spend hours cooking over a smoky stove. Research indicates that 70% of female farm laborers suffer from musculoskeletal disorders, 55% face chemical exposure-related illnesses, and 60% report mental health challenges.

The health impacts are diverse and serious: chronic back pain and joint problems from repetitive motion and awkward postures; respiratory issues from dust and chemical exposure; skin conditions from contact with pesticides and fertilizers; reproductive health problems linked to pesticide exposure; and psychological stress from poverty, job insecurity, and the dual burden of farm and domestic work.

Domestic labor: the overlooked occupation 🔗

Beyond agricultural work, millions of women engage in unpaid domestic labor that also carries health risks. An average Indian housewife spends around 6 hours daily in the kitchen, often cooking over traditional stoves burning biomass fuels in poorly ventilated spaces. This indoor air pollution contributes to chronic respiratory conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), traditionally associated with smoking.

The physical strain of domestic work-carrying water, collecting firewood, cleaning, and childcare-takes a toll on women’s bodies. Yet because this work happens within the home and isn’t formally recognized as “employment,” it rarely receives attention in occupational health policies or programs.

The policy gap 🔗

Despite constitutional provisions about protecting workers’ dignity and health, women agricultural workers lack solid social security policies, increasing their vulnerability during illness and old age. Most labor laws exclude informal sector workers, leaving the vast majority of working women without legal protections, health benefits, or workplace safety standards.

Moving forward: what needs to change 🔗

Understanding these challenges is the first step toward addressing them. India needs multifaceted approaches that tackle the social determinants of women’s health while strengthening healthcare systems. This means improving nutrition programs, ensuring universal access to quality maternal healthcare, extending occupational health protections to informal sector workers, and addressing the underlying social and economic inequalities that shape health outcomes.

It also requires recognizing women not just as mothers and caregivers, but as workers, citizens, and individuals with their own health needs and rights. When women are healthy, educated, and economically empowered, the benefits ripple through families, communities, and the entire nation.

What do you think? How can we ensure that progress in women’s health reaches all women equally, regardless of where they live or what work they do? What role can communities play in supporting women’s health beyond what government programs provide?

References

1. https://www.dataforindia.com/maternal-mortality/
2. https://www.mohfw.gov.in/?q=en/pressrelease/india-witnesses-steady-downward-trend-maternal-and-child-mortality-towards-achievement
3. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-024-17789-3
4. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281015
5. https://www.unicef.org/india/what-we-do/womens-nutrition
6. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7877425/
7. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/390535295_Analysing_Occupational_Health_Issues_among_Female_Farm_Laborers_in_India
8. https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/occupational.htm