Role of media in reproductive health: an empirical study

Abstract

Women play a very important role in our society. They are one of the significant force
behind maintaining the health and well being of their communities. Even women have the right
to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health. The
enjoyment of this right is vital to their life and well being and their ability to participate in all
areas of public and private life. However, health and well being elude the majority of women as
they are still facing many reproductive health issues. Women are subject to particular health risk
due to inadequate responsiveness and lack of services to meet health needs related to
reproduction. The quality of women’s health care is often deficient in various ways, depending
on local circumstances. Women are often not treated with respect, nor are guaranteed privacy
and confidentiality, nor do they always receive full information about the options and services
available. The present paper is the outcome of a study that was conducted in Irongmara Village
in Cachar district of Assam which analytically explores the media exposure on women
reproductive health issues specifically for the women residing in the village. As required by its
nature, the main objective of the paper is to assess how effective the modes of media are
educating the women of the area on the reproductive health issues. The paperis based on survey
method where 105 women from Irongmara village were randomly selected and interviewed in
order to gather the data. Hence, an assessment of the interrelation between the socio-economic
background and mass media exposure and awareness about reproductive health care of women
in Irongmara village of Assam was carried out in the research study.