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South Asian Women’s Health Behavior: Theoretical Explanations

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The Sociology of South Asian Women’s Health

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Abstract

Theories related to the sociology of health have received less attention compared to other specializations within sociology. The sociology of women’s health and the health of South Asian women has received even less attention. Due to the dearth of South Asian theories, it is imperative to also use theoretical explanations or constructs from the developed world which might help us to explain health behavior and outcomes in South Asian women. As the range of behavior patterns in women and social constructs across regions and ethnicities is diverse and complex, we will consider broad areas of influence. This chapter is divided between five broad social factors, under which 49 salient theories are discussed in order to explain South Asian women’s health, including: (i) culture and community, (ii) religion and state, (iii) choices of women, (iv) capitalist economy, and (v) transnational factors. Among other critique, this chapter elaborates on how the social construction of ill health for women, both physical and mental, is still very negative in South Asia, making it difficult for women to actively pursue or invest in health recovery, even when there is access for themselves and the girl child. It is hoped that the theories discussed in this chapter will be of benefit to students and scholars for building a framework for empirical research and hypothesis development.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Traditional practices which place women at greater health risks include: child marriage, polygamy, dowry provision, high fertility and low birth spacing, and domestic violence.

  2. 2.

    Watta Satta is a type of forced marriage through exchange, where a brother and sister from one household are married to another brother and sister from a second household. This arrangement can become a source of extreme reciprocal violence against the women involved.

  3. 3.

    Some of the items on the list of unpaid care work include: (i) looking after the home (cooking, cleaning, laundry, ironing, grocery shopping, and supervision of servants); (ii) taking care of the children, house, in-laws, parents and siblings, and sick family members; (iii) regular visitation and assistance to relatives and neighbors (cooking, babysitting); and (iv) taking part in religious and cultural events being celebrated or observed in the community or among relatives.

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  1. Department of Sociology, Forman Christian College University, Lahore, Pakistan

    Sara Rizvi Jafree

  2. Independent Consultant, London, UK

    Deepti Sastry

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    Sara Rizvi Jafree

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Jafree, S.R., Sastry, D. (2020). South Asian Women’s Health Behavior: Theoretical Explanations. In: Jafree, S. (eds) The Sociology of South Asian Women’s Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50204-1_2

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