A Woman’s Worth: Health, Stigma and Discrimination in India

By: Sophie Cousins

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Synopsis: India has made remarkable headway in reducing the prevalence of infectious diseases and extending people’s life expectancy. But despite all the progress, the health of almost half of India’s population—that of women—is under threat. Sophie Cousins takes us through the life-cycle of Indian women, all the while examining how gender inequality and stigma affect their health. A Woman’s Worth details the desperate lengths to which women are forced to go to secure a son; investigates the vast challenges women face when trying to access contraception and abortion; discusses the double stigma women face when having an infectious disease such as HIV and tuberculosis; and examines why cervical cancer, one of the country’s biggest cancer killers, has long been ignored. Weaving journalistic work with research, this book is a call to action for public health academics, policy makers, students and scholars of gender studies and public health, organisations working in the field, and general readers who have an interest in women’s lives and health.