Sierra Club
Today is World Health Day, a day often set aside to draw attention to specific health issues that plague our world and trouble our hearts and minds. That being said, it feels appropriate to share, on this particular day, my concerns about the state of women’s health on a national and international scale and how a lack of health care has great significance on women’s roles in the environment. You can’t have a healthy world without healthy people.
As a woman, I am grateful and proud of the progress of women’s rights, especially in the area of health care. However, World Health Day presents an opportunity to take stock in the global state of women’s health -- there is still much room for improvement.
While access to proper reproductive healthcare has increased dramatically over the past couple decades there are still areas within the United States where women suffer due to a lack of proper healthcare facilities. In Texas, women’s reproductive health care is threatened by strict state laws that make it difficult for women to gain access to a safe and legal abortion. Other states have followed Texas’s lead by limiting funding for reproductive health facilities and developing arbitrary laws that restrict access to legal and safe abortions. These cuts and restrictions disproportionately impact minority and low-income women. In an industrialized country like the United States, this is unacceptable especially considering that about half of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned.
Looking internationally, it is clear that there is still much work to be done in terms of providing proper healthcare for all individuals, but especially for women. According to the World Health Organization, there are a number of health concerns that directly or largely affect women. For instance, sexual and reproductive health problems are responsible for one third of health issues for women ranging from ages 15 to 44.
Fortunately, USAID remains committed to ensuring better reproductive health care by funding global reproductive health centers that can address women’s sexual and reproductive needs. At sustained levels these health centers are seeing change. Where these health centers are present, the number of women seeking access to these facilities and reproductive healthcare has increased. Although these improvements are wonderful, there are still many communities where women’s health is overlooked or neglected. The social and cultural inequalities women face are often a large barrier in the way of seeking and receiving health services.
Just as environmental justice is a matter of equality, health care is a matter of equality, but also a matter of sustainability. Women all around the world are at greater risk of the effects of climate disruption, but they also hold the untapped potential to solve the climate crisis as they play a significant role in influencing their environment. The health and well-being of women cannot be understated.
With access to contraception and other reproductive health services, women can choose how to space and plan their families, leading to healthier families and healthier environments. When equipped with necessary tools like access to reproductive healthcare, voluntary contraception, energy, education, and self-determination, women across the world can act as leaders against climate disruption from the local to the national level. From clean energy engineers and entrepreneurs, to legislators, to caretakers of natural and household resources, women and girls hold the necessary expertise for environmental and climate disruption mitigation, and disaster reduction and adaptation strategies.
When women are included in the sustainable development process not only do they bring in a unique perspective as the primary resource managers in their communities, but they also are more likely to take part in solutions. According to the UN’s Universal Access Project, women are more receptive than men to turn to more environmentally friendly practices and are proven to produce more sustainable results in community development projects like communal water systems and sanitation projects.
From the local to the global level, when women lead, our environment benefits. Countries with higher female parliamentary representation are more likely to ratify international environmental treaties and the number of women serving in a country’s parliament has shown to be correlated to reduceing greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, companies with more women on their board are more likely to proactively invest in renewable power generation.
By providing women with the right health and educational services, women are given the opportunity to plan out their futures and families and the ability to participate more freely in community projects and governmental roles. In honor of World Health Day, let’s reflect on the progress made around women’s health, and remember that there is still more to be done for women to have access to quality health care and opportunities so that they may continue contributing to the overall health of our world.