Investment in women’s reproductive health, often neglected by many countries, increasingly is being recognised as an essential component to achieving gender equality, greater productivity and the physical and economic health of families, communities and nations.
These concepts are inextricably linked and together contribute significantly to a nation’s overall economic prosperity, according to “Closing the deadly gap between what we know and what we do: Investing in women’s reproductive health,” a report prepared by The World Bank.
"Investments in reproductive health are a major missed opportunity for development, and that effective and affordable interventions are available to improve reproductive health outcomes in developing countries,” the report, presented at the Women Deliver 2013 conference in Malaysia in May, said.
But significant investments in reproductive health have been slow to materialise. The report identifies one key cause a lack of connecting the benefits of such investments to health and a nation’s overall economic vigor.
“To date, most research on the benefits of reproductive health programmes has focused on the health benefits, which are substantial, and which alone justify investment. The economic benefits of such investments, from the individual through to the economy-wide levels, are less well-recognised," the report said.
“Important economic benefits result from increasing labour productivity, reducing health expenditures, influencing the next generation, and strengthening the overall economy,” according to the 28-page report.
Here are some of the key reasons The World Bank believes countries, particularly developing nations, should ramp up their investment in women’s reproductive health and eliminate barriers to accessing these services.
LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY
About 40 percent of the global workforce and more than 60 percent of workers in agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa are women.
Maternal mortality and morbidity exacts costs in terms of lost earnings and the preclusion of other economic or educational activity by family members who must make up for the loss of women’s work.
There were an estimated 287,000 maternal deaths in 2010, an average of about 800 per day, often due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth.
More than half of these deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and just under one-third in South Asia.
For every maternal death, another 30 women suffer long-lasting injury or illness.
Increased fertility reduces the female labour supply. Globally, with the birth of each additional child, female labour force participation declines by about 10 to 15 percentage points among women aged 25 to 39 and by about 5 to 10 percentage points among women aged 40 to 49.
REDUCED HEALTH EXPENDITURE
Catastrophic health costs are well-documented to impoverish families in developing nations, including a study in Bangladesh that showed large increases in health expenditures linked to maternal illness.
Reductions in such financial hardships represent a real return on investment in improved maternal health care.
FUTURE ECONOMIC PROSPECTS
Studies have shown that the catastrophic effect of maternal death in a family can result in children being less likely to be enrolled in school and more likely to complete fewer years of schooling than those whose mothers are alive.
The health of children who have lost a mother or have an ailing mother also has been found to be adversely affected and thus their future prospects in the workplace.
Families may also invest more in their children and their education, especially girls, if they expect them to live longer lives.
IMPLICATIONS FOR BROADER ECONOMY
Improvements in population health, maternal health services, access to family planning and fertility declines can shift the demographic composition of a population in positive ways. Reduced fertility and mortality decreases the size of the dependent population and increases the productive, working population by comparison. This allows countries the opportunity to capture the broader economic gains known as the “demographic dividend,” which is reflected in more rapid and robust growth in gross domestic product.
KEY BARRIERS
Poor health services, particularly in terms of reproductive health issues.
Financial and physical obstacles to affording and accessing care.
Inadequate transportation systems
Lack of knowledge about or ability to reach facilities offering health services and attended births.
Lack of adequate resources, including health service workers
Source: The World Bank: “Closing the deadly gap between what we know and what we do: Investing in women’s reproductive health.