Health Revolution

Women’s empowerment is a new buzzword in the vocabulary of gender literature which refers to enhancing the position of women in the power structure of the society. There is a growing recognition among governments and in the private sector that investing in women and girls has a powerful multiplier effect on productivity, efficiency and economic growth. In India, the National Policy for the Empowerment of Women, 2001, presents strategies for economic and social empowerment of women. Women in urban India are at least uplifted and emancipated and granted equal status with men in many spheres of life though not completely. But without empowering rural women, can we claim women empowerment in India? Irrespective of the efforts of the government, the health needs of women and girls in rural areas are often neglected, compared to the needs of those in urban areas, and their access to health services is often too low. The focus of this article is on identifying challenges related to health issues during menstrual cycles of rural women and adolescent girls. The article discusses the various measures to improve the status of rural health scenario and contribution of various stakeholders towards this.