How Poor Women's Health Affects The Economy In Developing Countries

The health of women in developing countries has an immense impact on the economy. The World Health Organisation estimates that inadequate control of diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases in women costs developing countries nearly 2% of their gross domestic product each year. That's more than any other cause combined.
So what's happening? Why aren't poor women getting access to the care they need? And how can we change this? Here are some answers and solutions to poor women's health in developing countries that can help you address this problem in your community, as well as improve the economy at large.

This is how poor women's health affects their family
In a recent study, it was found that more than half of the people living with HIV are women in sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 69% of infections are among women. Women also account for nearly two-thirds of tuberculosis (TB) cases globally.
TB is usually passed from person to person through small droplets released into the air via coughing or sneezing; a poor woman with untreated TB will infect her children and possibly her husband if she shares drinking or eating utensils with him. There are about 2 million new TB cases each year, resulting in 300 000 deaths.

This is how it affects business
A healthy workforce is a productive workforce. In many places, women make up 70% of a country's agricultural sector. When you remove these workers from their farms and fields due to illness, you not only remove your workforce but also reduce overall productivity, slowing economic growth. This is especially harmful in rural areas with high poverty rates, such as much of Africa.
Poor female literacy rates also perpetuate cycles of poverty. When girls grow up unable to read or write and unable to advocate for themselves or demand equality within their own communities, they are more likely to remain dependent on male members of their family for financial support.

Globally, women are paid less than men
In many cases, they're paid half as much for doing equivalent work. When women get sick or are injured, their families lose income, and entire communities suffer because the money that would have gone to necessities like food or education gets spent on medical bills instead.
When women are healthy, productive and able to earn an income for themselves and their families, it benefits everyone and contributes to a country's GDP growth. Unfortunately, as many as 800 million people around the world still don't have access to basic health care services. That puts both individual lives and economic growth at risk.

This is how it hurts our world
Women's lack of healthcare access contributes to high mortality levels and has implications for food security. Women face an increased risk of death due to medical complications during pregnancy and childbirth (maternal mortality) and severe health problems during their reproductive years (reproductive morbidity).
Together, these account for about 30% of all deaths among 15-44-year-olds worldwide. In addition, maternal ill-health puts a significant strain on household resources – especially in settings where access to education is limited – and can result in poorer long-term outcomes for children.

Potential policies
Women and children can benefit from a number of policies that improve healthcare equity and public welfare. For example, a recent report from UNICEF suggests that improving nutrition during pregnancy is key to improving maternal, infant, and child health outcomes: Achieving equitable results for children requires greater efforts to ensure access to adequate nutrition for all pregnant and lactating women regardless of their income or where they live.
Another policy proposed by WHO is giving preferential treatment to mothers in emergency situations; these interventions often focus on getting mothers out of harm's way so they can better protect their families from crises like natural disasters. Improving environmental health also benefits children; exposure to pollution lowers IQ and contributes to many chronic diseases in later life.

Limited resources and education
According to the World Health Organisation, 80% of healthcare spending takes place in countries with high incomes and middle incomes. That leaves a lot of low-income, resource-scarce communities to fend for themselves, which can be a huge problem.
Poor women often lack access to healthcare or are unable to afford adequate healthcare when they need it—meaning they don't get preventive care like checkups or STD testing.
This results in an increased risk of death from treatable conditions like cervical cancer (which causes more than 300,000 deaths each year). When so many resources are dedicated to treating late-stage diseases and preterm births, there's little left over for anything else.

Improving outcomes through empowerment
Women's empowerment has a positive impact on their health and public policy. Women who are empowered are better able to negotiate with family members and healthcare providers.
Empowered women are more likely to use birth control and preventive care, leading to lower rates of unintended pregnancies, higher fertility rates within marriage (which means less reliance on female infanticide), and better outcomes for motherhood. Economically empowered women also start businesses more often those businesses have better financial performance than those created by men.
Emancipated women make an estimated $15 trillion USD worth of consumer spending decisions annually that makes them a powerful political force that politicians can't afford to ignore.

This is how it impacts the government
According to a WHO report, Millions of women live with debilitating conditions that require treatment, and millions more are at risk of disability and death during pregnancy and childbirth. The effect on families is just as significant. Several family members may be affected by a disease (for example, anaemia or tuberculosis), making it difficult for them to work. According to a UNICEF report, around 12 million children die each year due to causes related to malnutrition.
Poor nutrition causes about half of all deaths among children under five in developing countries. Most importantly, it's a significant drag on economic development: Across Africa, about 40% of GDP is lost due to illness and injury before age 65, according to World Bank research.

The digital divide remains a gendered one
In developing nations, nearly twice as many men as women have access to cell phones and computers. This gap exists despite overall mobile phone use rising by 300 percent between 2005 and 2010 alone, according to a recent study by Oxfam and Development Gap.
While 47 percent of men have access to a phone, only 26 percent of women do. What's more, only 5 percent of people living in rural areas own a computer or have Internet access at home. In total, 57 percent of people with Internet access are male.

Conclusions
The biggest economic gains would come from improving maternal and child health. For example, every dollar invested in a program that reduces malaria infection rates among children under five years old could save a nation as much as $12.50 in indirect costs such as lost productivity and increased spending on medical treatment later on.
And new strategies are needed to ensure that even mothers at higher risk of adverse birth outcomes have access to cost-effective interventions like fortified foods, supplements, micronutrient powders and high-quality prenatal care. The rising costs of healthcare must be addressed and quickly to help these nations improve their economies while saving more lives.