India is one of the few countries in the world where women and men have nearly the same life expectancy at birth.  The fact that the typical female advantage in life expectancy is not seen in India suggests there are systematic problems with women’s health. Indian women have high mortality rates, particularly during childhood and in their reproductive years.

The health of Indian women is intrinsically linked to their status in society.  Research on women’s status has found that  the contributions Indian women make to families often are overlooked, and instead they are viewed as economic burdens.  There is a strong son preference in India, as sons are expected to care for parents as they age.  This son preference, along with high dowry costs for daughters, sometimes results in the mistreatment of daughters.  Further, Indian women have low levels of both education and formal labor force participation.  They typically have little autonomy, living under the control of first their fathers, then their husbands, and finally their sons (Chatterjee, 1990; Desai, 1994; Horowitz and Kishwar, 1985; The World Bank, 1996).  All of these factors exert a negative impact on the health status of Indian women.