Regardless of the motives, I think it's a good idea to inform and educate women (and men) about their reproductive health. And because of the cultural gender values of Bangladesh, I think it was a wise decision to approach the promotion of contraceptives and health education in a culturally sensitive way, as to not create discord. It's difficult to implant a movement that goes against the grain of culture, but I think the success in gaining acceptance in the society speaks for itself.
This article identified the difficulties of providing birth control to women in a male dominated society. The women struggle between keeping or appearing to keep traditional roles but to be able to have control over their own bodies(Gender norms). It is difficult for me to imagine getting my husband's permission for birth control especially when you are too poor to care for them which was discussed by women getting abortions. I agree with the article that women need economic opportunities and resources in order shift the balance of power and I also agree that the method of intervention of birth control from a women to a women was the best method.
I found this article very interesting because birth control is a hot topic in the United States right now. I cannot imagine living in a society that is so patriarchal that I don’t have a say in matters concerning my reproductive health. I think it’s good that women are getting more access to contraceptives because they should not have to face unwanted pregnancies. This does not only affect the woman. If an unwanted child is born, he could be treated less favorably than the others. I found it interesting that a lot of woman don’t discuss family planning with their husbands even though the husbands typically are the ones with the money to pay for the treatments. Like the article said, this actually places a greater burden on the women. Hopefully, the quality of their reproductive health care will continue to improve.
In the United States, we see birth control and the decision to have children as the woman's choice. So it is hard to imagine being in this situation in Bangladesh where you have to ask your husband for permission. However, even though there are flaws with the way this birth control is distributed and the men aren't really shown how they can help with birth control as well, it is good that the women are told their options and educated about birth control. It is the beginning of helping the women achieve more autonomy in society because they are beginning to have more control over their decisions that are made about children.
Women should have the choice to take birth control or not. The husband should not have to make the decision because having children can be very financially burdensome in a poor rural area. Taking birth control would be a way for women to gain independence and become equal to men in society. I know that the culture there is male dominated, but the modern parts of the World are becoming more male/female equality. The males are afraid of losing power and having women, who they believe are inferior, rising above them socially and politically. The women don't want the power above men they just want to treated equally as human beings. Being able to decide on your own about using birth control is a way of not feeling pressed down by men and feeling more equal.
I couldn't imagine having to ask permission to take birth control. I think that the husbands could be more involved if they were better educated on the issue, and by being supportive and understanding the reasons behind it. Birth control is a way of making women more equal in their society and I think that is a good thing.
While the original idea behind the family planning in Bangladesh is a great idea, I don't think it was done the right way. The health practitioners that visit the women in their homes are doing a great thing by allowing the choice, or option, to stop having children. The biggest flaw in this is that they are receiving this service in their homes, and often times hide it from their husbands. When a husband finds out that their wife has taken medication to prevent pregnancy, they may be supportive, but in this different culture, they might also get angry with them hiding medications. A major way to fix this would be to educate the men with the risks associated with having more children. The men could also be given the condoms, instead of putting all of the responsibility on the women, when they are only one half of the equation.
In Bangladesh i couldn't believe that once the country gained its independence how high the contraceptive percentage went up. From 3% to 45% among married women. In correlation to the contraceptives the average children per woman decreased from 7 to 3.5. I think that the family planning in Bangladesh is a great idea, but more people need to educated. Not only do the women need to know about contraceptives, but the men as well. Men need to know that they can also use contraceptives like condoms, spermicide, and even men birth control. They need to realize the health effects of both men and women on having more children along with the financial aspect of how much it effects a family economically to have more children. I think that if men knew other positive reasons for not having as many children, more men would be supportive of contraceptives. I think that the family planning in Bangladesh just needs to be polished over to make it even better.
Education about sexual health in general is a strong cause, but expecially in nations and communities with such large gender disparities and those that struggle to support a booming population. Sexual health, control, and identity are very important gender issues, and helping to empower women in contraceptive choice step by step will hlep meet those needs. I agree that having to ask permission from a husband is outdated and prejudiced, but at this point in that culture, that itself is a large step.
Regardless of the motives, I think it's a good idea to inform and educate women (and men) about their reproductive health. And because of the cultural gender values of Bangladesh, I think it was a wise decision to approach the promotion of contraceptives and health education in a culturally sensitive way, as to not create discord. It's difficult to implant a movement that goes against the grain of culture, but I think the success in gaining acceptance in the society speaks for itself.
ReplyDeleteThis article identified the difficulties of providing birth control to women in a male dominated society. The women struggle between keeping or appearing to keep traditional roles but to be able to have control over their own bodies(Gender norms). It is difficult for me to imagine getting my husband's permission for birth control especially when you are too poor to care for them which was discussed by women getting abortions. I agree with the article that women need economic opportunities and resources in order shift the balance of power and I also agree that the method of intervention of birth control from a women to a women was the best method.
ReplyDeleteI found this article very interesting because birth control is a hot topic in the United States right now. I cannot imagine living in a society that is so patriarchal that I don’t have a say in matters concerning my reproductive health. I think it’s good that women are getting more access to contraceptives because they should not have to face unwanted pregnancies. This does not only affect the woman. If an unwanted child is born, he could be treated less favorably than the others. I found it interesting that a lot of woman don’t discuss family planning with their husbands even though the husbands typically are the ones with the money to pay for the treatments. Like the article said, this actually places a greater burden on the women. Hopefully, the quality of their reproductive health care will continue to improve.
ReplyDeleteIn the United States, we see birth control and the decision to have children as the woman's choice. So it is hard to imagine being in this situation in Bangladesh where you have to ask your husband for permission. However, even though there are flaws with the way this birth control is distributed and the men aren't really shown how they can help with birth control as well, it is good that the women are told their options and educated about birth control. It is the beginning of helping the women achieve more autonomy in society because they are beginning to have more control over their decisions that are made about children.
ReplyDeleteWomen should have the choice to take birth control or not. The husband should not have to make the decision because having children can be very financially burdensome in a poor rural area. Taking birth control would be a way for women to gain independence and become equal to men in society. I know that the culture there is male dominated, but the modern parts of the World are becoming more male/female equality. The males are afraid of losing power and having women, who they believe are inferior, rising above them socially and politically. The women don't want the power above men they just want to treated equally as human beings. Being able to decide on your own about using birth control is a way of not feeling pressed down by men and feeling more equal.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't imagine having to ask permission to take birth control. I think that the husbands could be more involved if they were better educated on the issue, and by being supportive and understanding the reasons behind it. Birth control is a way of making women more equal in their society and I think that is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteWhile the original idea behind the family planning in Bangladesh is a great idea, I don't think it was done the right way. The health practitioners that visit the women in their homes are doing a great thing by allowing the choice, or option, to stop having children. The biggest flaw in this is that they are receiving this service in their homes, and often times hide it from their husbands. When a husband finds out that their wife has taken medication to prevent pregnancy, they may be supportive, but in this different culture, they might also get angry with them hiding medications. A major way to fix this would be to educate the men with the risks associated with having more children. The men could also be given the condoms, instead of putting all of the responsibility on the women, when they are only one half of the equation.
ReplyDeleteIn Bangladesh i couldn't believe that once the country gained its independence how high the contraceptive percentage went up. From 3% to 45% among married women. In correlation to the contraceptives the average children per woman decreased from 7 to 3.5. I think that the family planning in Bangladesh is a great idea, but more people need to educated. Not only do the women need to know about contraceptives, but the men as well. Men need to know that they can also use contraceptives like condoms, spermicide, and even men birth control. They need to realize the health effects of both men and women on having more children along with the financial aspect of how much it effects a family economically to have more children. I think that if men knew other positive reasons for not having as many children, more men would be supportive of contraceptives. I think that the family planning in Bangladesh just needs to be polished over to make it even better.
ReplyDeleteEducation about sexual health in general is a strong cause, but expecially in nations and communities with such large gender disparities and those that struggle to support a booming population. Sexual health, control, and identity are very important gender issues, and helping to empower women in contraceptive choice step by step will hlep meet those needs. I agree that having to ask permission from a husband is outdated and prejudiced, but at this point in that culture, that itself is a large step.
ReplyDelete