Women’s Health: Rewriting the Goals

“Development cannot happen without focusing on women, but women are always an afterthought!” –Purnima Mane.

I arrived at 7:30 and met Ms. Lesak in the lobby of the Standard Club. We were ushered into a room with a bunch of tables for organizations. I spoke to a representative for the “Restoring Family Links program” which the Red Cross is involved in. It is a global program that works to reconnect families with lost members, they pay for sending letters and work to find loved ones. Services are provided to families separated by international disasters as well as those affected by international migration.

http://familylinks.icrc.org/en/Pages/home.aspx

It’s a really incredible program, and especially applicable to women who have lost sons and fathers in wars.

“Healthy Food for a Healthy World”

Next was a keynote panel in a large room with breakfast. I am not hugely interested in nutrition, so I didn’t love this part of the symposium. Although, there were some terrifying statistics mentioned. For instance, ¼ of children in the world are malnourished, and in India 40-45% of children are malnourished. As mothers are usually the primary procurers of food, it’s important to educate women around the world in how to get the most nutrients with the least money.

The most interesting thing I took from this panel was the point that other countries around the world are desperately trying to build this welfare safety net that provides food and care for citizens, while in America, the valuable safety net is under constant attack! The Greater Chicago Area Food Depository gives out 70,000,000 lbs. of food every year, so clearly there is still a need for welfare.

“Global Mental Health”

This topic interests me more than nutrition and the speakers were really fantastic. For whatever reason, women are more likely to suffer from depression than men. As mental illness is heavily stigmatized, especially in the nonwestern world, women face an unusually difficult disadvantage which is worsened by the fact that around the world, women are more likely to endure abuse, sexual, physical, or mental. In the Middle East, women who have survived rape, are often punished. It’s terrifying.

In war-torn regions, PTSD is widespread, and small, remote communities lack the information on what PTSD is and how to treat it. A hypothetical presented by Scott Portman was especially insightful; he said, (paraphrased) “Two siblings come home, both having faced torture. One has developed severe PTSD with flashbacks and night terrors, but the other is fine. The one with PTSD is outcast because the community cannot understand why she isn’t persevering like the other is.” Mental illness is illness, the sufferer cannot necessarily control it.

An audience member asked a valuable question. Since throughout history women have been viewed as crazy, (note the evolution of the word hysteria from the Latin word for womb) is it wise to feminize the issue of mental health?

Both speakers disagreed, although conceded that it is important to stay aware of the history of women with mental illness. Portman talked about how in Columbia, women are often left with the burden of dead male family members. But unlike most other countries, it’s expected for them to struggle with the deaths. They aren’t stigmatized or “feminized in a negative way.”

“Smart Economics: Women’s Reproductive Health”

The three speakers in this breakout group were incredible, especially Priya Agrawal, the executive director of Merck for Mothers. The refrain of the hour was “ It is both the smart and the right to do to provide women with reproductive health services. They deserve it.”

I was sure of this before the hour began, and militantly sure by the end. The usual argument for women’s reproductive services is a sob story, motherless children, drawn out death during childbirth, shockingly low life expectancy for women etc. While that absolutely should be an adequate argument, given the lack of support for this cause, it clearly is not effective enough. So instead, the speakers attacked the issue from an economic standpoint. Women with access to birth control and care have children later in life and ultimately have less children and healthier children. Healthier children means more effective workers, women having them later in life means more productive years, more time for education. It’s estimated that $15 billion is wasted in lost productivity due to inadequate women’s reproductive healthcare. $1 spent towards reproductive health can generate up to $120 in benefits.

In case you’re interested in Merck for Mothers and the value of private sector healthcare: http://www.merckformothers.com/index.html

Two especially interesting articles on the economic effects of reproductive care: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/dec/04/spending-on-women-healthcare-save-millions-guttmacher-institute-unfpa-sexual-reproductive-health

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/feb/17/access-to-contraception-birth-control

WOMEN ARE THE FASTEST GROWING INVESTMENT!

My special nametag

Priya is in the middle, sitting down.