Believe it or not, the health of women around the world does not match that of men. Women have different health needs than men and they aren’t always met. The world lags behind in some key ways. Between reproductive health, domestic abuse, and access to basic necessities, the health of women needs to improve around the world. That’s why Hologic created the first globally comparative study of women’s health, to better the well-being of the 3.9 billion women across the planet. Below are five ways to improve women’s health.
Provide Access to Necessities
When it comes to access to necessities, women receive the brunt of the hardship. In much of the world, it is culturally the woman’s job to find water. In fact, women and children spend 200 million hours every day collecting water. This is an incomprehensible number. Not only will the health of women improve with easy access to fresh, clean water, it will also free them up to care for themselves in other ways. The most important thing to do for women’s health is to help everyone around the world have access to drinkable water and nutritious food, but it doesn’t stop there.
Provide Reproductive Care
Another significant part of improving women’s health is providing reproductive rights to them. This includes access to birth control, condoms, medical care when they are pregnant, and other forms of reproductive care. With better women’s healthcare, the overall well-being of women improves. Access to reproductive care makes life better and more lucrative for everyone. If health is taken care of, women can focus on other things. While it is one of the most important aspects of women’s health, it is also the most commonly ignored.
Decrease Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is a large hindrance of women’s health around the world. Not only are women physically harmed by the men in their life, they are emotionally and spiritually harmed by it as well. Millions of women around the world are subject to domestic violence. They can be physically hurt and mentally controlled by the men they live with. In some parts of the world, it isn’t considered immoral to hit your wife or daughters. One way that the health of women will be greatly improved is if there is success in decreasing the amount of domestic violence in the world. It won’t be an easy thing to accomplish, but people like Hologic are making it their mission to improve women’s health and to do so domestic violence has to stop.
Access to Education
In more than one part of the world, access to education for women is nil. Men are typically encouraged to be educated more commonly. With cultural norms dictating that women stay home and tend to the house and the people who live in it, education is lower for women than it should be. Providing access to education will also improve the health of women. When you are educated, you have a better understanding of biology, anatomy, and what impact the things we consume have on our bodies. Education is central to health and it’s necessary to improve the well-being of women.
Accurate Weight
Women around the world are either hungry or starving themselves to be a certain weight. The reality is that women store more fat than men and should weigh more than they commonly do. Whether it’s due to hunger or a self-imposed diet, millions of women around the world aren’t weighing what they should. Exercise is essential to living a healthy life, but so is eating food with enough vital nutrients. Finally, another way that we can improve the health of women is to stop promoting unrealistic narratives about how much women should weigh.
Women’s health is lacking around the world for a variety of reasons. Men receive better medical care, access to education, and aren’t the victims of domestic violence as often. Women often have to find the food and water, all while being told that they should weigh less than they do. If there is a global effort to change these things, the health and well-being of women will improve. What are we waiting for? These things need to change!
