Associated Press (11.09.09) - Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Bradley S. Klapper

The chief health risk factor for women of childbearing age in developing nations is unsafe sex, which the report said is responsible for one in five deaths among females in this age bracket. Other risks include lack of access to contraception and iron deficiency.

WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan noted that biologically women enjoy an advantage, as they tend to live six to eight years longer than men. Yet they are at a distinct disadvantage in cultures that limit their ability to access knowledge about HIV and negotiate safer sex.

"We will not see significant progress as long as women are regarded as second-class citizens in so many parts of the world," Chan said. "In so many societies, men exercise political, social, and economic control. The health sector has to be concerned. These unequal power relations translate into unequal access to health care and unequal control over health resources."

Globally, the report notes, up to 80 percent of all health care and 90 percent of HIV/AIDS-related care is provided in the home, nearly always by women. Yet more often than not, women's contributions and needs go unrecognized.

Additionally, in many cultures, the available sexual and reproductive health resources tend to focus exclusively on married women - ignoring the needs of unmarried women and adolescents, along with those of sex workers, intravenous drug users, ethnic minorities, and rural women.

To access the full report, visit http://www.who.int/gender/documents/9789241563857/en/index.htm l.
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