The Deprieved Woman - Research Paper Example

The Deprieved Woman They were created to be helpers of man, has the society taken advantage of this? Today if you are a woman, you are likely to be poor; doing a lot of work, being abused physically or emotionally and the list is endless. Injustices and discrimination are the major causes of poverty and the women bears is it all. According to the latest report by OECD's Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI), though women’s right are improving in most of the countries, in some countries women are yet to contribute to the social and economic development of their country. The following is are examples of the injustices still faced by the women around the globe. In Afghanistan, unequal employment and education opportunity In 2001, the country was ranked 135 out of 145 in the United Nation Development gender inequality index. In 2008, it was estimated that only 8% of the countries labour force is accounted for by women, despite the fact that they are the major contributor of rural economy (Lough et al., 2). The root cause of this inequality has been attributed to the fact that women are married early and are subordinate to men and they have no claim on partnel inheritance. In Saudi Arabia, Women can’t drive In some countries women mobility is limited, and Saudi Arabia is one of these countries. All forms of independent means of transport are restricted In China & India, Infanticide of Baby Girls. In India and China historically, because of the dowry and one child policy respectively has made a male baby preferred to female child. This has lead to sex selective abortion and infanticide, in 2001 India had 927 female births for every a thousand male birth. In the U.S., gender pay gap In the U.S women make 82% of what their male counterpart earn, despite the recent gains made in education. This is according to the recent study released. These wage gaps persist at all level of education. According to (Forbes magazine, 1), women in the U.S. still earn 77% of what the men earn. U.S is just one of the many countries with this disparity. In Lesotho, restricted land ownership In some of the countries women are not allowed to own land, for in Lesotho a woman cannot have independent to property or land without co-signing with the husband. This limited rights subject women to stay in abusive relationship so as to protect their property. Sexual abuse Women around the world continue to suffer sexual abuse, this occurs in schools, work places and even at homes. In his book, “A&P”, John Updike describes how girls who walked into “A&P” attracted the attention of every man who was passing by. The male employees who were working at that particular had a lot of sexual interest. Sammy looks at each of the girls in turn, noticing the details of their hairstyles and their bodies. This indicates his interest is clearly sexual and at one point he appraises Queenie’s breasts. In his book, “Hills like white elephant”, Ernest Hemingway describes the problems a woman undergoes. The writer talks of the sacrificing nature of the girl for her man. It shows how a man for his own selfish gains, asks the girl to go through abortion, so as that she can pursue a good life and how a girl is willing to sacrifice or give up her source of happiness for the sake of the man. This clearly shows the injustices women undergo. Health care issues for women in prison Over the last few years, the number of prisoners has increased by around 600% in the U.S alone and about 10 million Americans are incarnated each year (Rich et al., 81). Most of the increase has been attributed to lack of education, poverty and the unwillingness of the U.S government to treat addiction and mental illness (Rich et al., 20). Therefore it seems incarceration has become the default response of most of the social injustices. A report by United Nations on drug and crime (UNDOC) released in 2009 shows that many prison policies normally ignore the crucial needs for women and their health (UNDOC,v). The report also show that the number of women in prison is increasing and the rate is much higher than that of men. This is generally attributed to the fact that the crimes in which women are prisoned for are property, drug or non-violent crimes. Women’s health problems in prison If there could be a system that ranks subgroup with their health problems, then there is no doubt, women prisoners will be at the top of that list. There is a growing documentation that shows that women prisoners are likely to have more serious health problems as compared to both men and women in the general population. This has been attributed to largely because of poverty, problematic lifestyle and lack of access to medical care. It is also important to note that their health is even worse as compared to the incarcerated males. According to a report released by UNDOC, women in prison have high dependence of drug or alcohol dependence and mental illness as well as physical, sexual abuse and violence. In addition the rate of mental health problems is high in women unfortunately this problems are always addressed inadequately. The rate of post-traumatic stress, the use of substance disorder and also the rate of suicidal attempts have also been found to be high in women. It has also been found that most foreign national women, girls and older women are the minority in these prisons, most of the times their needs are always overlooked. This begs the question, are the prisons serving their intended purpose? Incarcerations not only affect the health of female prisoners but also the women whose partners are in prison. Recent studies have shown that there is high rate of HIV prevalence among women with incarnated partners (Epperson et al. 47). The criminal justice has a central role to play in this process and it is in the interest of the state to do so. The lack of accessibility to healthcare still exists, even though there is data confirming the greater medical needs of women prisoners. For example in his research (Young, 18) found out that during a 4 month period 5% of women had not received any medical attention, 25% received them four times or more per month and 50% received them twice a month. From this figures it is clear that female prisoners have more and serious medical problem. In a thorough study in prison health utilisation (Young 19) found out that men reported being in good health than female. They also found out that the number of women visiting health care was high and that women complained that the medical services they were getting were of lower standards. The authors therefore concluded that gender was the main determining factor for health problems. The paragraphs below describe some of the most healthcare issues the female prisoners are facing today: HIV and infectious diseases, mental illness (including substance abuse) and pregnancy and gynaecology. i. Mental illness: The leading mental healthcare problem for prisoners is substance abuse, sexual abuse and trauma from physical abuse. According to Morash (1998). In as study he did in state facilities women were more likely to get addicted to drugs and have mental disorder than their male counterpart. In addition women prisoners reported a lot of complains about obtaining medical services for mental illness, and also lack of personnel with the relevant skills to treat them (Acoca 19). They also said that most women who had mental disorder were given antidepressants. ii. HIV and infectious disease: Infectious disease and HIV have been known to exact a lot of pressure on health care systems. The same also applies for correctional facilities, despite the cost correctional facilities are continually testing for HIV and other infectious diseases. The specific details of the treatment given to women suffering from HIV and other infectious diseases are currently not available. iii. Pregnancy and gynaecology: According to (Acoaco, 8) in the year1995, 10,000 women were pregnant at the time of imprisonment, though the number of children who were born were relatively smaller due to miscarriages, abortion and other factors. One of the factors which contributed to few children being born was because most expectant female inmates were taken outside to other medical facilities. This process normally results in numerous medical and mental health complications. After conception, most women are normally confronted with the issue of child loss. Today one of the issues that most correctional facilities are trying to deal with is the issue of what to do with the children born in prisons. This is because most of the time the children are only allowed to be with the mother up to three years only. Today most of the correctional facilities housing women prisoners have facilities both for pre-natal care and post natal care. Women’s family responsibilities Issues arising from family responsibilities and gender specific health are frequently neglected It has also been noted the number of women who are held in pre-trial detention are even more than those who are already convicted. Most of these detainees have limited job opportunities or access to healthcare, restriction on family contact, including visits which affect women with children and even the children themselves. Therefore this brings to focus the consequences of incarceration, especially on the families. In most countries there are only a few prisons meant for women, therefore most of the times they are placed far from home therefore this end up straining family ties. In addition given that most women are the primary carer of the baby, this normally leaves most children affected. For example it is estimated that in Europe alone, around 10,000 babies and children younger than two years are normally affected by their mothers’ imprisonment. When considering children below the age of 18 years, then is estimated to be more than hundreds of thousands. Most of the times women who give birth to children while in prison, most of the times there are not given time to bound with their children. In most countries across Europe the time normally is 3 years. Conclusion The government and policy making bodies should review their policies and services for meeting the preventive, curative and basic healthcare needs for women at all the stages of criminal justice systems. In reviewing these policies the important principles that should be considered should include the following: i. Health system and programming that specifically address mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse. ii. If children are involved, then the best interest of the child should be put first and at least should be the guiding factor in deciding women imprisonment. iii. All policies affecting women should recognise the women specific needs and it should be able to distinguish between the variations in needs that exist between different groups of women. According to World Health Organisation, health is a fundamental human right, especially for people held in state custody. Well both women and men should be treated equally, most of the prison facilities were built for men and therefore do not have adequate facilities to protect women rights and their health. Therefore all prisons should incorporate health policies that cater for women health needs in all phases of planning and implementation. Work cited Acoca., L., & Austin., J., Diffusing the time bomb: Understanding and meeting the growing care needs for incarcerated women in America, Crime and Delinquency; 44(1), 49-70. (2008). Epperson, M. W., Khan, M. R., El-Bassel, N., Wu, E., & Gilbert, L. A longitudinal study of incarceration and HIV risk among methadone maintained Men and their primary female partners. AIDS and Behavior, 15(2). (2011). Forbes magazine. 4.Dec.2013.http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghancasserly/2013/09/19/the-geography-of-the-gender-pay-gap-womens-earnings-by-state/ Lough., O.,Amini., F., Bayat.,A.,F., Hussain Z., Kohistani., M.,H.,G., Echavez.,C., (2011). Equal rights, unequal opportunities, 2. Rich, J. D., Wakeman, S. E., & Dickman, S. LMedicine and the epidemic of incarceration in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine. . (2011). Resnick., J & Shaw., N. Prison Law monitor, 3 (3/4), 57-115. (2001): Rafter., N., Partial justice Women in state prisons, 1800- 1935. Boston: Northeastern University Press. 2005 United Nations office on Drug and Crime (2009): Women’s health in prison: correcting gender inequality in prison health. World Health Organisation. Young, D., (1998). Health status use and service among incarcerated women. Family community health. 21(3), 16-31 Read More