Contextualising Health Agency Exploration of Narratives from Marginalised Women in Varanasi, India

Gender equality and women’s empowerment are critical development goals which are highlighted by global agendas such as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Sustainable Development Goals. A key facet of these attempts is understanding and expanding women’s agency, particularly to a...

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Päätekijä: Sinha, Shalvi
Muut tekijät: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Humanistis-yhteiskuntatieteellinen tiedekunta, Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja filosofian laitos, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylän yliopisto
Aineistotyyppi: Pro gradu
Kieli:eng
Julkaistu: 2024
Aiheet:
Linkit: https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/95695
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author Sinha, Shalvi
author2 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Humanistis-yhteiskuntatieteellinen tiedekunta Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja filosofian laitos University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylän yliopisto
author_facet Sinha, Shalvi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Humanistis-yhteiskuntatieteellinen tiedekunta Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja filosofian laitos University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylän yliopisto Sinha, Shalvi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Humanistis-yhteiskuntatieteellinen tiedekunta Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja filosofian laitos University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylän yliopisto
author_sort Sinha, Shalvi
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description Gender equality and women’s empowerment are critical development goals which are highlighted by global agendas such as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Sustainable Development Goals. A key facet of these attempts is understanding and expanding women’s agency, particularly to advance their health. However, traditional metrics often impose ideals of agency from a western standpoint and struggle to define and measure agency within women’s contexts. This qualitative study conducted in Varanasi, India, interviewed 17 ever-married marginalised women, aged 30-49, to explore their perceptions of health and agency. Participants were selected via snowball sampling, and semi-structured face-to-face interviews were employed for data collection. Data was analysed using saliency analysis, a thematic analysis approach that ensures themes that may not necessarily repeat but hold substantial importance for the study’s objectives are retained. The findings reveal that despite economic constraints, marginalised women demonstrate health agency. Interestingly, increased agency did not consistently improve health outcomes, with women instead prioritising family well-being, especially their children’s. Moreover, gender interests were intertwined with family well-being, shaping agency towards communal alignment. Women exercised agency collaboratively via engaging in collective decision-making, cultural practices, and power negotiations. However, physically demanding, low-paying jobs drastically affected their health, highlighting the significance of structural constraints and suggesting a strong linkage between health outcomes and economic resources. The study emphasises the importance of considering women’s values, goals and strategic gender interests in improving well-being, warning against detached Western notions of autonomy. It stresses the need for contextualisation and genuine acknowledgment of women’s narratives in interventions to increase their overall well-being and health.
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spellingShingle Sinha, Shalvi Contextualising Health Agency : Exploration of Narratives from Marginalised Women in Varanasi, India Health Agency Women's Health Health Empowerment Women’s Autonomy Women’s Decision Making India Master's Degree Programme in Development and International Cooperation Kansainvälinen kehitystyö (maisteriohjelma) 211 naiset naisen asema terveys toimijuus kehitysmaat hyvinvointi women woman's status health human agency developing countries well-being
title Contextualising Health Agency : Exploration of Narratives from Marginalised Women in Varanasi, India
title_full Contextualising Health Agency : Exploration of Narratives from Marginalised Women in Varanasi, India
title_fullStr Contextualising Health Agency : Exploration of Narratives from Marginalised Women in Varanasi, India Contextualising Health Agency : Exploration of Narratives from Marginalised Women in Varanasi, India
title_full_unstemmed Contextualising Health Agency : Exploration of Narratives from Marginalised Women in Varanasi, India Contextualising Health Agency : Exploration of Narratives from Marginalised Women in Varanasi, India
title_short Contextualising Health Agency
title_sort contextualising health agency exploration of narratives from marginalised women in varanasi india
title_sub Exploration of Narratives from Marginalised Women in Varanasi, India
title_txtP Contextualising Health Agency : Exploration of Narratives from Marginalised Women in Varanasi, India
topic Health Agency Women's Health Health Empowerment Women’s Autonomy Women’s Decision Making India Master's Degree Programme in Development and International Cooperation Kansainvälinen kehitystyö (maisteriohjelma) 211 naiset naisen asema terveys toimijuus kehitysmaat hyvinvointi women woman's status health human agency developing countries well-being
topic_facet 211 Health Agency Health Empowerment India Kansainvälinen kehitystyö (maisteriohjelma) Master's Degree Programme in Development and International Cooperation Women's Health Women’s Autonomy Women’s Decision Making developing countries health human agency hyvinvointi kehitysmaat naisen asema naiset terveys toimijuus well-being woman's status women
url https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/95695 http://www.urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202406104466
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