HYDERABAD: At a time when female workforce participation is dropping to a new low at the national level, the discrimination being faced by women over their health is high. A report, titled ‘Indian Women’s Health Report 2021,’ compiled by Emcure Pharmaceuticals, has found that a whopping 71 per cent of women in Hyderabad said that their male colleagues lacked sensitivity towards women-related health issues.
The study, which involved inputs from nearly 1,000 women from seven major cities — Hyderabad, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune — researched on the various biases, stigmas and misconceptions that women in white-collar jobs face owing to their health issues.
About 71 per cent of the women in Hyderabad said they faced a hostile workplace in terms of reactions to their health issues, and this was likely leading to many of their female colleagues to quit work. The survey notes that at least 77 per cent of women currently working in the city have observed their female colleagues either quit the job or take a sabbatical, and one of the key reasons for this break was health issues like PCOS, endometriosis or pregnancy-related issues.
The study also highlights that a large number of women across the country face stress while trying to balance their family with professional obligations, resulting in them giving low priority to their health.
“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 1st followed by personal health,” stated the report.