Husbands’ Support to Wives in Accessing Reproductive Health Services: A Gender Perspective from Rural India

Sampurna Singh, International Center for Research on women

This paper examines to what extent male partners can help women in accessing health services, specifically for rural women. This analysis is the part of a larger study conducted to understand gender and reproductive health. Approximately 69 percent of the women reported suffering from at least one type of gynecological problem. The problems most often identified include abnormal white discharge, abdominal pain, menstrual problems, uterine prolapse and fistula. Analysis shows that young women, those who have no children, and those lacking in education are less likely to share their reproductive problems with husbands than are women in their 30s, those who have had at least one child, and those with some education. Overall treatment seeking is high among those women who share their problems with their spouses. Our study strongly suggests that improving couple communication is an important programmatic interventions for increasing women’s care-seeking and access to reproductive health services