Environmental Studies

Module 6. Social issues and the environment

Lesson 31
WOMEN AND CHILD WELFARE

31.1 Various Problems Affecting the Women and Welfare

31.1.1 Malnutrition

Pregnant women, nursing mothers and children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of malnutrition. The adverse effects of malnutrition on women are-maternal depletion, low birth weight, anaemia, toxemias of pregnancy, post-partum haemorrhage, all leading to high mortality and morbidity. Measures to improve the nutritional status of women and children may be broadly divided into two-direct and indirect nutrition interventions. Direct interventions cover a wide range of activities, such as, supplementary feeding programmes, distribution of iron and folic acid tablets, fortification and enrichment of foods, nutrition education, etc. indirect interventions include control of communicable diseases through immunization, improvement of environmental sanitation, provision of clean drinking water, family planning, food hygiene, education and primary health care.

31.1.2 Infections

Women or maternal infections can cause a variety of adverse effects such as threatened abortions, foetal growth retardation, low birth weight, embryopathy and puerperal sepsis. Women of under-developed nations are at high risk. Infections in the child may begin with labour and delivery and increase as the child grows older. Children may be ill with debilitating diarrhoeal, respiratory and skin infections, or the situation is further aggravated by the chronic infections, such as, malaria and tuberculosis. The children also suffer from the severe protein-energy malnutrition and anemia. Prevention and treatment of infections in women and children is being done by adopting the WHO Expanded Programme on Immunization. The children in the developing countries are being immunized against tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertusis (whooping cough), tetanus, measles and polio.

31.1.3 Uncontrolled reproduction

The severe health hazards for the women and children resulting from the unregulated/uncontrolled reproduction have been well recognized, viz., increased prevalence of low birth weight babies, severe infections and a high maternal and perinatal mortality. Statistics have shown that in most countries, a birth rate is associated with a high infant mortality rate and child death rate.

31.1.4 Education and socio-economic status

The dropout rate (from schools) of girls is much higher than the boys. In under-developed nations the educational preference, both at the primary level and at secondary level, is given to the male child as compared to the female child. This also indirectly affects the socio-economic status of the women. This problem is very much under control by making the female education free at the primary level by the several under-developed nations. In India too, the female literacy rate has gone upto 50% from 39.3%.