Violence, homelessness, and women’s mental health

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.

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