FAQs

Almost all women 90 confirmed that they have faced conflict of interest between balancing family/ personal obligations and professional obligations Looking at the two groups of age, 91 women in the age category 41 55 years face these conflicts, while 89 women belonging to age category of 25 40 years mentioned the same.

Nearly half of the women respondents reported facing difficulty in managing personal health 52 the other half faced difficulty in managing family 41 even though both rank high in their priority list family ranks 1 st followed by personal health

8.2.A Common Pressures and Impact on Performance Common and Toxic Pressures Laid on Working Women

Women continue to encounter challenges when it comes to advancing in the workplace and in many facets of society When working women ( 1000 were asked about the most common toxic pressures they face, the following observations were received.

50% respondents opine that women are subjected to pressure associated with prioritizing family over work, marriage pressures and not paying attention to their child/children.

Prejudices Faced at Workplace by Women Suffering from Health Concerns

When women respondents ( 1000 were asked about the kind of prejudice they have experienced or observed against other women facing medical condition at workplace, majority (58%) of them pointed out that it created ‘negative impact on their career growth’ followed by

• Not getting equal salary/increment (50%)
• Entrusted with non critical responsibilities only (48%)

Among those women who reported to observe drop out from workforce (n=860), majority of them (59%) reported that health issue is the most common reason for women to drop out of workforce or take a sabbatical from their career followed by reasons related to life-stage (such as pregnancy/ childbirth/ post birth/ marriage) & family pressure.

8.4 Male Colleagues Opinion on Women Health

To capture male colleagues’ opinion on women’s health, the following question was asked from the women respondents (n=1000).

Do you think male colleagues/ men in the workforce lack sensitivity/are unable to understand women related health concerns? (n=1000).

80% working women opine that male colleagues lack sensitivity.

JUDGEMENT/ STEREOTYPE BY MALE COLLEAGUE

Majority of the women respondents (63%) reported that male colleagues tend to pass judgement mainly around maternity leave followed by not understanding women’s health concern and tagging it as “excuse” (59%)

75% organizations are sensitized towards women health issues and have taken initiatives to tackle women health concerns Flexi working hours followed by special leaves, dedicated counselor services are the most common initiatives taken by organizations to manage women health issues

8.8 Opinion on Periods

Menstruation is a phenomenon unique to women The topic has always been surrounded by taboos and myths In India, there are many such taboos associated with menstruation even today and e ven mere mention of the topic has been a taboo in the past and even to this date the cultural and social influences appear to be a hurdle for advancement of knowledge on the subject Culturally in many parts of India, menstruation is still considered to be dirty and impure These stereotypes can have impact on women’s mental and emotional state, lifestyle and most importantly, overall health.

In our study, when women respondents (n=1000) were asked on how did they first learn about periods, it was observed that majority women (42%) first heard about periods from their mother/ sibling followed by 19% who reported to learn it from various informative programs which were conducted by their school.

The following questions were asked to the respondents related to stereotypes and judgements associated with menstruation Majority (84%) stated that they have faced or have observed other females facing stereotypes or judgements around periods in their life.

Not going near the temple, kitchen or other “pure places’ is the most common stereotype followed by ‘Her periods started at the right age so she will not face any consequences at childbirth’

“Menopause is a critical period in a woman’s life that not only marks the end of reproductive ability but is also associated with multiple physical, vasomotor, psychological, and sexual complaints. Awareness of menopausal symptoms, hormonal changes, and their effects on the quality of life is extremely important for better management of symptoms and for decreasing comorbidities such as heart disease and osteoporosis associated with menopause. When women respondents (n=1000) were asked about the statements they have commonly heard related to menopause, nearly 60% women felt that menopause is a natural process & doesn’t need medical consultation.”

About 67% of the women feel that it is a big taboo to utter the word “cancer” in the society. Only one-third of the women feel that society is open to discuss about these topics (breast, cervical or uterine cancer). Women in the age group of 41-55 years feel and fear this taboo is more prevalent compared to women of lower age group. We also asked our respondents, what has been the barrier or hindrance in acknowledging this disease especially the more prevalent ones in women like breast, cervical or uterine cancer. The women reported lack of knowledge (65%) as the top factor, followed by myths and stereotypes associated with breast cancer (62%) and regressive mind-set (44%). Societal Stigma (35%) and feeling of embarrassment (31%) have also been mentioned as barriers.

8.12 Opinion on Infertility

Close to 95% of the women are aware of infertility as a condition. This is slightly lower in older women (91%) compared to women of younger age band (97%).

When women were asked about their opinion on infertility, most of the women provided lukewarm response about the opinion of society towards women who may have infertility issues. Infertility can be caused by multitude of reasons and can have other side effects on females’ body as well.

Only 62% of the women (N=941) think that society is slowly acknowledging the issue of infertility whereas, 38% of the women feel that society is very harsh towards women who go through such condition.

Women have shown relatively positive opinion about IVF. It is one of the most common methods available now- a-days to handle infertility.

Our respondents opine that IVF is a good and positive solution to infertility. The percentage is higher in younger women compared to older ones (76% vs 68%). Overall, 20% of the women feel that it is an unnatural and extravagant process.

Overall 8 % women stated that they lack detailed information regarding IVF to share an opinion, 10% women are from the younger age group of 25-40 years and 6% are from the older age group of 41-55 years.

There is a clear lack of knowledge, discomfort in discussing about it and bias from society in all women health related issues that we have discussed above.