Gender and development—the role of infrastructure
Empowering women through education and labor market opportunities leads to faster and more equitable development. Women allocate more time than men to household chores such as fetching water and collecting fuel wood, often at the expense of their health and more productive work. Roads, water systems, and other types of infrastructure can reduce the conflict between women’s productive and reproductive roles and thus increase their economic empowerment. Transport and Reproductive Health Access to appropriate healthcare can have a tremendous impact on maternal mortality rates. Three-quarters of the current maternal deaths could be averted if the full range of services and interventions were provided to all women. These include antenatal care and a skilled attendant during delivery, preferably in a Women in urban areas are more likely to deliver at a health facility than women in rural areas
data.worldbank.org/atlas-global/gender See pp. 6–7 for more information
Births at health facility (% of total) 100
Transport plays a critical role in access to services and in the overall effectiveness of the referral process for maternal health. In effect, transport and road infrastructure act as a key link between potential accessibility and actual utilization of health and obstetric services. Transport services are particularly important in sparsely populated rural areas of most developing countries, where health facilities that provide maternal services tend to be widely dispersed. In many countries, women living in rural and remote areas have less easy access to health services than women living close to urban centers. And these distances are aggravated if the quality and efficiency of road infrastructure is poor. The majority of women in Mali and Haiti, for example, live in communities accessible only by seasonal roads, which can become impassable during the rainy season. Distance to a health facility is an obstacle for many women in rural areas when accessing healthcare Percentage of women who said distance to health facility is a problem when accessing healthcare Urban
100
Rural
Rural
80
80
60
60
40
40
20
20
0
42
Urban
health facility, combined with ready access to other levels of care. When childbirth-related complications occur, there is a need for timely and safe transport of the mother to a healthcare center with the necessary drugs, equipment, and other supplies for effective management of the problem.
Bangladesh 2007
Kenya 2008–2009
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys
Philippines 2008
0
Congo, Honduras Dem. Rep. 2005–2006 2007
Liberia 2007
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys
Nepal 2006
Nigeria Philippines 2008 2008