Of Women's Well-Being & Mental Health

Joli Borah

email: joliborah@yahoo.co.in

Better to be strong than pretty and useless” is a beautiful quote which means that women must be strong and independent.  Women have been categorized as the weaker section of the society. Earlier, they were only the centre of unity in a family. But now they have become active participants in all walks of life.

Women are an important element of our society. The modern society has started recognizing the identity of women. Women are becoming not only a significant unit of the society but also influencing the course of social change in society.

Women can help the society in various ways by engaging themselves in social activities and work for the betterment of the society. The world cannot grow at good pace unless women come forward and take initiative for the development works.

A woman has different roles to play in her life. She has to play the role of a girl, a wife, a daughter-in-law and at last the mother. As a mother, her role in the development of child’s emotiol and psychological aspect has been also very significant. She is not only the care taker of her child but an educator as well. The first lessons are taught at home to the child by his/her mother.

Women’s well being is important for children as well as for the family. By ‘well being’ we understand the good or satisfactory condition of existence. When the condition of well being is high, then it is understood that the individual or group has positive outcome. ‘Well being’ goes beyond the traditiol definition of health. Well being refers to the dimensions of physical, mental and social which is interconnected. It aims at achieving physical vitality, mental clarity, positive emotions, social satisfaction and persol fulfillment. Thus, well being generally aims at presence of positive emotions, absence of negative emotions, and satisfaction with life, fulfillment and positive functioning. In simple terms, well being can be described as judging life positively and feeling good.

Well being is about making a life where we can contribute to a greater society, where we can have a more fulfilling existence with meaningful and supportive relationships. Well being gives us a way to discover and explore our strengths. Well being help us to live life to our full potential.

We recognize the effects of abuse, discrimition, physical and mental ill health, fincial pressure, unemployment, relationships conflicts and other issues on our overall well being. But our approach to women’s well being is to look at the whole woman.

A strong sense of well being contributes to good mental health. It is just as important to maintain good mental health as it is to maintain good physical health. It also helps to protect us from feelings of hopelessness and depression, acting as a ‘guardian’ of our mental health. Mental health is not merely the absence of mental illness rather it is a state of overall well being.

According to World Health Organization, “Mental health is defined as a state of well being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”

Women are under continuous pressure. This can have an impact on the eating disorders in women. It can also be a cause of low self-esteem, stress, depression and anxiety. Women in all circumstances can be affected by mental health difficulties. Multiple factors may contribute to women’s greater likelihood of experiencing such conditions including higher rates of poverty, greater responsibility in caring for children or ill family members and trauma from gender-based violence.

Social factors and gender specific factors determine the prevalence and course of mental disorders in women. Around two-thirds of married women in India were victims of domestic violence.

In order to tackle the common mental health issues faced by women today, cultural norms, mind sets and attitudes towards women must be altered. It is important to raise public awareness of gender biases in society in order to see change in women’s mental health. It is possible to reduce the impact of socio-cultural factors on women’s mental health by creating an equal society. Education is the main factor which can contribute to the improvement of women so that they can be made able to take decision themselves about their own well being and mental health and take the fullest advantage of the facilities provided to them. Concerted efforts at social, political, economic and legal levels can bring change in the lives of women and contribute to the improvement of persol and mental health of these women.  Thus, women can create a ‘Beautiful World’ by being strong and confident.