Dying for Life: the Selective Suffering of Women in Liberia
Author
Nielsen, Angela
Term
4. term
Publication year
2008
Pages
74
Abstract
Selv om enkle og billige måder at forebygge mødredødelighed har været kendt i mere end et århundrede, dør mange kvinder i udviklingslande stadig af graviditetsrelaterede årsager. Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan strukturel vold—sociale og institutionelle ordninger, der systematisk stiller nogle grupper ringere—kan forklare denne vedvarende risiko. Med Liberia som casestudie anvendes perspektiver fra strukturel vold samt køn og udvikling til at vurdere, hvordan kvinders underordnede sociale position og fattigdom påvirker deres risiko for mødredød, og om Liberias regering mindsker barriererne eller forstærker dem. Analysen bygger primært på Liberias nyere udviklingspolitikker og strategier for mødres sundhed, suppleret med to interviews udført i Liberia i marts 2008 med repræsentanter for sundhedsinstitutioner. Resultaterne tyder på, at selv om regeringen anerkender, at indirekte faktorer øger kvinders risiko, er indsatsen for at håndtere dem ikke tilstrækkelig bred. Derfor afhænger en kvindes risiko fortsat meget af hendes velstand, den viden hun har, og hvor hun bor. Særligt bemærkelsesværdigt er, at der er få strategier, som udfordrer de grundlæggende årsager til kvinders ulige status. Det peger på begrænset forståelse og engagement i at forbedre kvinders liv, undervurderer kvinders sundhed og fastholder strukturel vold mod kvinder. Uden at konfrontere disse underliggende strukturer er væsentlige forbedringer i mødres sundhed i Liberia usandsynlige.
Although simple, low-cost ways to prevent maternal deaths have been known for more than a century, many women in developing countries still die from pregnancy-related causes. This thesis examines how structural violence—social and institutional arrangements that systematically disadvantage certain groups—helps explain this ongoing risk. Using Liberia as a case study, it applies perspectives from structural violence and from gender and development to assess how women’s subordinate social position and poverty shape their risk of maternal mortality, and whether the Liberian government is reducing those barriers or reinforcing them. The analysis draws mainly on Liberia’s recent development policies and strategies on maternal health, supplemented by two interviews conducted in Liberia in March 2008 with representatives of health institutions. The findings suggest that, while government strategies acknowledge that indirect factors increase women’s risk, efforts to address them are not comprehensive. As a result, a woman’s risk remains strongly influenced by her wealth, the knowledge she has, and where she lives. Most notably, there are few strategies that challenge the root causes of women’s unequal status. This indicates limited understanding and commitment to improving women’s lives, undervalues women’s health, and perpetuates structural violence against women. Without confronting these underlying structures, significant improvements in maternal health in Liberia are unlikely.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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