Health and Women
The average female life expectancy today in India is low compared to
many countries, but it has shown gradual improvement over the years.
In many families, especially rural ones, the girls and women face
nutritional discrimination within the family, and are anaemic and
malnourished.
The maternal mortality in India is the second highest in the world.
Only 42% of births in the country are supervised by health
professionals. Most women deliver with help from women in the
family who often lack the skills and resources to save the mother's
life if it is in danger. According to UNDP Human Development
Report (1997), 88% of pregnant women (age 15-49) were found to be
suffering from anemia.
