ShodhPatra: International Journal of Science and Humanities

Comparative Analysis of Women’s Health in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand: With Help of National Family Health Survey (NFHS)- 3 & 5

Women, for most of recorded history, have assumed a predominantly domestic role in society, serving largely and often exclusively as wives and mothers. Women's health is a better predictor of a child's health than the father's health. When a mother becomes ill, there is a larger likelihood that her children will also become ill. According to UNICEF, "Malnourished mothers give birth to malnourished children." We can easily see how the family’s health is heavily reliant on the mother’s health. Women often care for the health of their spouse and children before taking care of their own needs. They are prone to foregoing medical treatment to be able to provide for the needs of their family. Up to 80 percent of healthcare decisions in households are made by women. Unfortunately, women often are giving themselves low priority on the list of things to take care of. Women's health is a global issue and deserves attention in every country. This is why women's health is so important, and is at the very heart of the Millennium Development Goals and the UN's project to lower global poverty, as women are the bedrock of impoverished societies. In consequence, the main focus of the study is to know the status of women's health in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand (based on NFHS-3 & NFHS-5).