What Is the Effect of Garment Work on Women's Health and Empowerment in India? An Analysis of India's National Family Health Surveys

Introduction: Understanding issues of need and patterns of access to care by women in South Asia is important in order to support development of responsive health systems in this region. Of particular interest are women who have sought employment in the garment industry, which is an important source of employment in South Asia for women.  The aim of the current study was to describe whether health care utilization and the prevalence and severity of barriers to accessing health care, women’s empowerment indicators and maternal and child health differed between female garment workers in comparison to women in agricultural labour and women in general in India.

Methods:  Cross-sectional data from India’s National Family Health Survey was used to conduct secondary data analyses.  Logistic regression was used to look at differences in likelihood for a certain outcome between garment workers, agricultural workers and women in general in India.

Results: Preliminary observations indicate female garment workers are younger (median age of 25 years compared to 29) and more educated (54.10% have finished secondary education compared to 14.81%) than women in the agricultural sector in India. Garment workers have similar insurance coverage as women in general in India (5.24% compared to 5.71%), but more than agricultural labourers (1.01%). All three groups: garment workers (38.59%), agricultural labourers (38.65%) and women in general in India (38.79%) seek health care primarily from private doctors/clinics. The reason most popularly cited by all three groups for not using government facilities is due to the poor quality of care found in such institutions.

Conclusions: In India, studying women’s access to health care services includes studying the broader social context in which these women live. It is vital to understand the livelihood patterns and the social constraints placed on these women in order to make the necessary changes to policy.