QUES . Explain why suicide among young women is increasing in Indian Society. UPSC 2023 GS MAINS PAPER I, 150 words, 10 Marks
HINTS:
Facts about suicide among young women in Indian society
A study published in the journal Lancet Public Health in 2018 looked at suicide rates across Indian states and genders from 1990 to 2016 based on multiple sources. The research was part of the 2016 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors (GBD 2016).
It found that India’s contribution to global suicide deaths increased from 25.3 percent in 1990 to 36.6 percent in 2016 among women, and from 18·7 percent to 24·3 percent among men. This is even though India had 17.8 percent of the global population in 2016.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) also states that in 2018, around 63 housewives killed themselves every day, on average, making up 17.1 percent of all the suicides in India.
Women in the age group – 15 to 49 – who are married and in the child-bearing age have a high suicide death rate.
Factors contributing to increasing female suicides in India
Due to early marriage, she could have been dropped out of school early, becoming financially dependent on her husband and in-laws – which implies that her ability to participate in decision making – whether it is financial or reproductive rights reduces and she gets depressed.
Young mothers are prone to perinatal depression due to limited support system around.
A female may have early marriage, and may not have a partner of her choice, may move to a different location, and there is the pressure of bearing a child.
Domestic violence – physical, emotional – is a fairly well known risk factor. Incidences of dowry harassment are also significant.
Then there is poverty, relationship with partner (dysfunctional marriages), limited support from families, because of the way culturally women are looked at post their marriage.
Restricted financial autonomy for women, limited mobility and marital controls also lead to stress.
Disparities in access to education and employment can lead to feelings of hopelessness and frustration.
Mental health stigma can also prevent young women from seeking any professional help.
The rise of social media has exposed young women to cyberbullying, revenge pornography etc.
Also, high expectations from parents and society lead to stress, anxiety, and depression.
All these factors could lead to a lot of stress and therefore lead to death by suicide.
Measures taken by the government to prevent female suicides in India
Mental Healthcare Act, 2017; National Suicide Prevention Strategy; National Mental Health Policy(2014); National Mental Health Programme; MANAS program in Maharastra; etc.
What needs to be done to prevent female suicides in India?
Today in India, suicide is seen like a personal choice that somebody has made. It’s not seen as a social issue that needs to be addressed by the government, health systems, not-for-profit or workplaces. We need to start seeing it as a public health issue.
We need to work on our laws. There are laws around domestic violence in India. But it’s the implementation of those laws which is a problem.
For stigma to go away we need to provide quality accessible services – family support, peer support, policy level changes and intervention programmes at grassroots level.
We need data-driven and gender-specific strategy. We need to talk about mental health, institutional structures and deconstruct marriage.
Not just in terms of health, but the economic, the societal – how are we patient with each other? How are we able to offer more support so that people don’t tip off?
