If women played the same role as men do in labor markets, a total of $28 trillion could be added to the United States' global annual GDP by 2025 - as found in a recent study by McKinsey. However, specific inequalities - including unequal education levels, financial and digital exclusion, the vulnerability of female children, and low maternal and reproductive health - are stopping women from progressing economically. There are many ways in which women's health is affected by deprioritization and discrimination. As reported by Women Deliver, treatment guidelines for non-communicable diseases often focus on men's symptoms, which can lead to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment for women.
Menstrual Inequity across the Globe
Menstrual inequity - often referred to as period poverty - is a global issue affecting women, girls, and people who menstruate the world over. Many women lack access to safe hygienic products or they cannot afford them. They are therefore deprived of the right to manage menstruation without shame and stigma. Action Aid, an organization working to end period poverty, reports that one in 10 girls in Africa miss school because they do not have access to menstrual products. In India, meanwhile, around 12% of 355 million menstruating women cannot afford these products. In the U.S., around 25 million women live in poverty and food stamps do not cover menstrual products. Nor does Medicaid. Sales tax, meanwhile, is yet another barrier to affordable menstrual hygiene.
Period Poverty, Health, and the Economy
Period poverty can lead to health problems that can interfere with women's education, training, and ability to hold down a job. Inadequate menstrual hygiene is linked to problems like bacterial vaginosis (BV), for instance, which can cause itching, burning, and discomfort. Periods can significantly affect the vaginal pH balance, which reduces the body's ability to fight off infections. While there are natural approaches to restoring vaginal health - including apple cider vinegar, garlic, coconut oil and others, poor hygiene can result in recurring infections. BV and other hygiene-related infections can have a negative impact on the economy. Not only do these issues lead to absences, but they also potentially exclude women from religious and social activities, interaction with males, and travel outside the home. Independence, autonomy, and self-confidence are all important if women are to study and thrive at school and at work.
Women's Health and Sustainable Development
Giving women more control of their fertility and challenging gender-based discrimination gives women more autonomy and boosts women's access to education and employment (Langer, 2015). Universal access to contraception and key sexual and reproductive health services are vital if we are to eradicate poverty and achieve the United Nations' sustainable development goals. Women who cannot determine whether or when to have a child, those who drop out of school because of unwanted pregnancies, and those who lack access to medical professionals face obstacles that can be insurmountable. Research conducted by the Guttmacher Institute found that around 43 million pregnant women face health risks by giving birth outside health facilities. Around 21 million, meanwhile, need medical care for major obstetric complications but do not receive it. A further 1.5 million women are living with HIV and one-third of them are not receiving the antiretroviral care they need to prevent transmission to their babies and to preserve their own health. The researchers stated that if all women who wished to avoid pregnancy used modern contraceptives, unwanted pregnancies would drop by 70% - from 74 to 22 million on a yearly basis. Maternal and newborn deaths would also drop dramatically (by 67% and 77%, respectively).
Fertility and Economic Prosperity
Women's fertility is another factor that substantially affects sustainable development. As stated by Langer (2015), "the profound economic, social, and health effects of high fertility can perpetuate the exclusion of women and limit their opportunities to build and realize their human capital," and this fact affects future generations as well. Langer states that women's choice in the context of sexual and reproductive health is fundamental to sustainable development. Allowing women to make choices that affect their health and autonomy (including choices regarding their family size) reduces population growth, changes consumption patterns, and reduces the exploitation of the world's resources. Lower fertility and timed pregnancies boost women's health when they are older and strengthen their ability to form part of the workforce. Langer elaborates, "Healthy, educated, and empowered women are well-positioned for the many roles they have as mothers, caregivers, workers, volunteers, and leaders, affecting the structure of societies and advancing sustainable development."
Women who enjoy autonomy when it comes to sexual reproduction and health can contribute positively to the economy, as can those who have access to hygiene products and those who receive non-discriminatory health care. In order for the world to meet its sustainability goals, the health rights of women need to be taken into account. Wide-scale legal reform is required to end discrimination, promote equality and autonomy, and make menstrual hygiene products more accessible.
