International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention

ISSN (Online): 2319 7722, ISSN (Print): 2319 7714

www.ijhssi.org || Volume 3|| Issue 6 || June. 2014 || PP.55-58
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Reproductive Health and Women Constructive Workers
Ruhi Gupta
Research Scholar University of Jammu

ABSTRACT: According to the World Health Organisation, health is a state of complete physical, mental,
and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. (1958)
.
Reproductive health refers to
a condition in which reproductive process is accomplished in a state of complete physical, mental and social
well-being and is not merely the absence of any disease in the reproductive organs or in the reproductive
system.
.
The concept of womens reproductive health was developed by the World Health Organization,
International Womens Health Movement Groups and International Family Planning Network in contrast to
bio-medical approaches to women health.


I. INTRODUCTION:
Women are not dying during pregnancy and child births because of conditions that are difficult to manage.
They are dying because the societies in which they live do not see fit to invest what is needed to save their lives.
It is a question of how much the life of a woman is considered to be worth.
Many factors affecting womens health are deeply rooted in our social structure (society) where women
have secondary status resulting in low self-esteem. These factors are socio-cultural, economic and
environmental factors which influence womens health status. Analysis of how these factors affect reproductive
health of the women construction workers is undertaken in this chapter. This chapter also talks about the nature
of work done by the female construction workers both at the construction sites and at the home.
Socio-cultural factors include looking into the background of the respondents consisting of a number of
variables like age, income, education, religion, age at marriage, son preference etc. The study was conducted
among 30 female construction workers and 30 were their husbands making a sample size of 60 respondents. In
order to have a deeper understanding of these factors both the male and the female responses were taken into
consideration.
The relationship between the reproductive health and its determinants is not a simple but a very
complex phenomenon. There are not one but multiple factors which influence and account for fertility in
varying ways under varying conditions. Sharma and Niranjna (2001) argued that women status is determined by
the specific social and cultural conditions underlying the structure; womens work participation inside and
outside the family is generally high with low recognition in a society based on the values of patriarchy;
womens participation in decision-making process is also generally low in a social structure conditioned by
patriarchal values. However, differentials in the participation in decision-making are caused by the relative
social and economic status of women; the child-bearing practices are greatly influenced by the structure of
social values conditioning marriage related practices; and the fertility behaviour differentials are caused by
socio-economic and value variations and argued that how these factors affected the reproductive health and the
fertility behaviour of women in their study.



Yadava and Mishra (2003) argued that women anywhere in the world have to suffer from some inbuilt
advantages, compared to man because of certain biological reasons. They have to put up with menstruation,
pregnancy, child-birth, lactation, child rearing and menopause and their various complications. Physically, they
are less strong. They are also more vulnerable to sexual aggression and abuse. The different cultural, social and
economic situations in India have given different focus to these biological disadvantages of women. These
situations also influence the way these biological disadvantages affect the health of women and girl-child.

The relative neglect of the female child is evident from the fact of greater prevalence of growth
retardation even in infancy, among girls, than in boys. It is such a nutritional neglect commencing right from
infancy and continued through all stages of development, that eventually, results in maternal health/ nutritional
status which harm not just the woman but the succeeding generation as well. (Yadava and Mishra, 2003)
.
Globally, about 8 million women suffer from pregnancy-related complications and more than half a
million die from those complications. In developing countries, one woman in 16 may die due to pregnancy-
related complications. (WHO, 2004).

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Education
Education plays an important role on the matters related to health and reproductive health. Education
contributes immensely to a persons awareness improving her/his chances of seeking timely medical treatment.
Women need to be aware about their health and nutrition. They need to understand their reproductive health
system and health care in a mature manner. Such understanding and awareness facilitated by education will have
a positive influence on their health seeking behaviour.
Sandhu (1996) has argued that education especially of the women not only changes the outlook of the
person regarding value of children and ideal number of children preferred, but also leads to greater acceptance
of family planning. It also raises the age at marriage, thus cutting down the reproductive span of the women.

Uneducated women are less likely to seek the help of professional health services because they are probably less
aware of what is available and probably find the culture of health services more alienating and frightening.

Education delays marriage improves health and lowers fertility. In almost every setting-regardless of
region culture or level of development better educated women are more likely to:
Marry later, use contraception, bear fewer children and raise healthier children.
To make better decisions for themselves and their children.
To make greater economic contributions to the household.
Better- educated women are also likely to have greater say in decisions such as when and whom they marry and
to use family planning to bear only the children they can provide for.
The Committee on the Status of Women in India The deep foundations of the inequality of the sexes
are built in the minds of men and women through a socialisation process which continues to be extremely
powerful. If education is to promote equality for women, it must take a deliberate planned and sustained effort
so that the new value of quality can replace the traditional value system. (Kumar, 2006)
.

Table 3.1 Educational Level of the Respondents
Educational Qualification No. of Female
Respondents
No. of Male
Respondents
Total
Illiterate 25(83.34%) 12(40%) 37(61.67%)
Can Read and Write 4(13.33%) 15(50%) 19(31.67%)
Primary 1(3.33%) 3(10%) 4(6.66%)
Total 30 30 60

Table 3.1 clearly depicts that 83.34 per cent female respondents were illiterate. 13.33 per cent female respondents were
those who could read and write. Only 3.33 per cent respondents had the qualification up to primary level. This means that
number of female respondents in the sample had low level of education. The data further shows that 40 per cent male
respondents were illiterate, 50 per cent male respondents could read and write. Only 10 per cent male respondents were
educated till primary level.
During the field work, it was found that that majority of the women were illiterate. Education affects the
reproductive health of the women in general and the construction workers in particular. The low level of education among
the respondents was responsible for the lack of awareness among them regarding various contraceptives and birth control
technologies as well as their inability to make decisions about the number and spacing of children.
Religion
Sandhu(1996)
13
found that religiosity was positively related to fertility .In other words, the higher the
religiosity, the bigger the family and lower the religiosity, the smaller the family. Besides, family size,
religiosity was also related to preference of family size, son preference and fertility value index.

Religion is considered to be an important factor affecting fertility of the construction workers.
Religiosity here means the disposition of the individual towards religion and religious way of life .Religious
norms and values guide normative patterns of behaviour. In the Indian society children are viewed as Gods gift
and religious values stand in the way of acceptance of family planning.
Religiosity assumes special significance for the present study. Religion is responsible for the poor
reproductive health of women. Religion continues to be the part of a society due to the fact that it provides a set
of beliefs which to a considerable extent guide peoples behavior and most people respond to the beliefs even if
these are irrational. Since most of the construction workers are illiterate, so they have little knowledge over
sexual behaviour and the sanctions against the contraceptive use. The desire to have more children i.e. daughters
to help them at home when they are young and sons to bring in their wives is the basic ideology of the
construction workers. When asked why they give birth to so many children when they cant fulfill their basic
requirements, the answer given was Bache to Upar Waale ki Dein Hain, Hum Kaise Inhe is Duniya Mein Aane
se Rok Sakte Hain. In the context of fertility and sex preference, one of the beliefs is that the birth of a son was
a must.

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Table 3.2 Religion of the Respondents
Religion No. of Respondents Percentage
Hindu 28 93.33
Muslim 2 6.67
Total 30 100

The information from the above table shows that 93.33 per cent respondents were Hindus and only
6.67 per cent respondents were Muslims. Religion was taken into consideration and it has been found during the
field work whether the respondents were Hindus or Muslims the notion regarding to have more number of
children was the same and the respondents of both the religion did not believe in aborting the child.
Household Work and Child Rearing
Care for Children
Women usually work longer than men. With their domestic hours on top, women work twice as many
hours as men. Women continue to perform majority of household and childcare work even when they hold full-
time labour market jobs. Womens performance of the majority of domestic work is justified as a natural
extension of their biological capacity to bear children. Housework is not considered as work, however even
though it provides goods and services that add greatly to the comforts of life and often are crucial to its
maintenance. Undervaluation of womens work either in the household or in the workplace leads to women
being expected to work for longer hours than men (Ram et al, 2011).

According to Neelam (2011), mens work is judged to be productive and markets are seen as a way to
judge the value of that work. Responsibilities in this reproductive arena limit women from participating in so-
called productive work. Although child care, care of the elderly, obtaining fuel, preparing meals, and
maintaining the home are demanding tasks, deemed to be important to households and recognised as essential
for society, they are usually unpaid. Another major reason for undervaluing womens work is that households
are usually viewed as sites of consumption rather than producer of goods and services. Because womens work
is undervalued and often invisible, insufficient attention has been given to the value of womens time and the
time costs required to protect and promote womens health.

In addition to economic considerations, role expectations, gender identities, the meaning of sexual
activities, meanings of health and disease, health seeking behaviour and the relationships among these and other
factors impinge on reproductive health. Access to available health services may be constrained because women
do not have the resources needed to attend. Women may have other responsibilities in the household which take
precedence and thus do not seek out health care.
Table 3.8 Child Care at Home
Care taken by
Egos (Female)
Response
Spouse (Male)
Response
Total
Husband 1(3.33 %) 1(3.33%) 2(3.33%)
Ego 25 (83.34%) 21(70%) 46(76.67%)
Both 4(13.33%) 8 (26.67%) 12(20%)
Total 30(100%) 100 60

The above table shows that 83.34 per cent female respondents said that it was their duty to take care of
the children. 13.34 per cent respondents said that their children were taken care by both of the parents and only
3.33 per cent respondents reported that their children were taken care by their husbands. On the other hand, 70
per cent husbands reported that it was their wives duty to take care of the children. But, 26.67 per cent.
Objectives
The study was under taken with the following objectives:-
To look into the socio-economic profile of the respondents.
To analyse the various factors i.e. social, cultural, religious and economic that affect the reproductive
health of women.
To look into the level of awareness among the women and her men regarding reproductive health
matters.
To explore the utilization of the reproductive health services by the women construction workers.
To analyse the working hours of the women construction workers in order to view their dual role.




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Area of the study
Jammu city has been selected as the area of the city from other states like U.P, Bihar, Odisha etc. have
shifted in and they along with their wives are mostly seen in the construction work sites. Since the focus was on
the reproductive health of the women construction workers working at the construction sites of the Jammu city
and therefore the sample has been selected on the basis of purposive sampling method.
The area for field work has covered the Jammu city and its surrounding region. Because of the poor
economic condition and meager income, the infrastructural developmental schemes have generated a greater
demand for migrant labour in the city and therefore one finds a large influx of migrant labourers in the city.
These construction workers men and women are working everywhere in the city in different spheres of
economic activity and are unable to have access to various health facilities.
Research Methodology
Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may be understood as a
science of studying how research is done scientifically. Various steps are adopted by the researcher in studying
his research problem along with the logic behind them. Research methodology has many dimensions and
research methods to constitute a part of the research methodology. The scope of research methodology is wider
than that of research methods. Thus when research methodology is discussed, research methods as well as logic
behind the methods are also discussed. Also it is discussed that why the researcher is using a particular method
or technique.
For the present study the feminist perspective is used. Sherry B. Ortner attempts to provide a general
explanation for the universal devaluation of women. Ortner claims that it is not biology as such that ascribes
women to their status in society but the way in which every culture defines and evaluates the female biology.
Thus, if this universal evaluation changed, then the basis for female subordination would be removed. Ortner
argues that in every society, a higher value is placed on culture than on nature.
The universal evaluation of culture as superior to nature is the basic reason for the devaluation of
women. Women are seen as closer to nature than men and therefore seen as inferior to men. Ortner argues that
women are universally defined as closer to nature because their bodies and physiological functions are more
concerned with the natural processes surrounding the reproduction of the species. These natural processes
include menstruation, pregnancy, child birth and lactation, processes for which the body is naturally equipped.
They are primarily responsible for the socialization of the young. Finally, Ortner argues that womens psyche,
her psychological make-up is defined as closer to nature. Because women are concerned with childcare and
primary socialization, they develop more personal, intimate and particular relationships with others, especially
their children. By comparison, men, by engaging in politics, warfare and religion have a wider range of contacts
and less personal and particular relationships.

REFERENCES
[1]. Sharma and Niranjna. 2001. Social Structure and Fertility Behaviour. New Delhi: Rawat Publications.
[2]. Jeffrey and Andrew. 1989. Labour Pains and Labour Power: Women and Child Birth in India. New Delhi: Manohar Publications.
[3]. Yadav and Mishra. 2003. Gender Issues in India. New Delhi: Radha Publications.
[4]. WHO. 2004. Reproductive Health Strategy. Department of Reproductive Health and Research.
[5]. WHO. 2000. Reproductive Health during Conflict and Displacement. Department of Reproductive Health and Research.
[6]. J. Sandhu. 1996. Sociology of Fertility. New Delhi: Rawat Publications.
[7]. Oxaal and Baden. 1997. Gender and Empowerment: Definitions, Approaches and Implications for Policy. Bridge: Institute of
Development Studies.
[8]. S. Neelam. 2011. Sexuality, Health and Human Rights. Delhi: Manglam Publications.