ABSTRACT
In this paper, we analyze the family level and socio-demographic factors affecting women's decision-making ability over access to reproductive health care services in rural communities of Balkh province, Afghanistan. A questionnaire survey was conducted with a total of 176 married women. Using logistic regression analysis, we found that four out of seven variables significantly influenced women's decision-making ability over access to Reproductive Health Care Services (RHCS): extended family structure (OR = 14.31, p < 0.01), husbands accompanying their wives to RHCS (OR = 4.12, p < 0.05), discussing issues related to reproductive health with partner (OR = 3.57, p < 0.05), and distance from home to a health facility (OR =0.86, p < 0.01). Therefore, some policies or programs designed to improve husband-wife communication, in particular fostering discussions related to reproductive health and encouraging husbands to accompany their wives to health centers, are recommended to improve women's decision-making ability over access to RHCS.
Subject(s)
Decision Making , Health Services Accessibility/statistics & numerical data , Marriage/psychology , Personal Autonomy , Reproductive Health Services/statistics & numerical data , Reproductive Health/statistics & numerical data , Socioeconomic Factors , Spouses/psychology , Adult , Afghanistan , Family Characteristics , Female , Humans , Interpersonal Relations , Male , Marriage/ethnology , Reproductive Health/ethnology , Rural Population , Spouses/ethnology , Surveys and Questionnaires , Women's Rights , Young AdultABSTRACT
This study adds to the growing body of knowledge on gender nonconformity aspects of heteronormativity by examining its impact on the life course of hijras and their access to fundamental human rights in Pakistan. Drawing on 50 semistructured interviews conducted in two sites, the findings suggest that the participants' lived experiences associated with gender nonconformity significantly influenced the direction of their life course and their ability to have access to human rights. These experiences spanned from childhood to elderhood across a wide range of settings, such as family, school, guru dera (residence headed by a hijra guru), workplace, and interactions with authorities. The participants' human rights were not recognized, resulting in abuse, social stigma, discrimination against them, and their exclusion from mainstream society. Finally, implications are drawn for public policy and future research on third gender concerns in Pakistan and elsewhere.
