Syllabus: GS- I, Subject: Society and Social Justice, Topic: Issues of women, Issue: Mental health issues in women
Mental health issues in women:
- NHFS-5 reveals 30% of women aged 18-49 in India experience physical violence since age 15, with 6% reporting sexual violence.
- Evidence suggests a reciprocal relationship between violence and mental health conditions.
- Structural barriers like poverty and caste, along with violence, lead to a loss of agency and disrupt conventional notions of home.
Concerns:
- Mainstream discussions are limited to depression and anxiety, sidelining the link between violence and psychological distress.
The way ahead:
- Solutions to violence against women should tackle systemic issues like
- unpaid labor,
- economic empowerment, and
- gender norm challenges through education.
Exploring intersectionality and power dynamics, using feminist standpoint theory, can enrich the comprehension of mental health.
