By Linda Ogwell
Since time immemorial, the woman has had an intimate relationship with the environment, and this cannot be disputed. This connection is even emphasized in the third world countries where women’s gender roles; reproductive roles are mainly centered on their interaction with the environment though different activities, which include food production and health care among others.
This special relationship between the woman and the environment has made her very vulnerable to the after effects of environmental degradation. In other words, the more we degrade our environment through pollution, deforestation and other unfriendly environmental practices, the heavier the woman’s burden and hence the worse effect on her health.
The woman’s health is key because she is the link to the future. Without her there is no future, and hence serious measures should be taken to improve her health. It is because of this importance that the ancient civilizations considered the woman sacred.
But the woman’s reproduction role is under serious threat. This threat is as a result of the damage man is causing to the environment. There is definitely a connection between the environment and man’s health.
According to a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) dubbed Preventing Disease Through healthy environments, the environment has a profound influence on people’s health and preventing environmental risk could save more than four million lives a year.
But to be more specific, women’s health problems related to the environment are varied and are caused by different environmental problems. For instance, inhaling of lead substances from petroleum fumes can cause cancer among women and birth defects among pregnant ones.
Women in their early pregnant stages also stand high chances of having miscarriages when they inhale fumes from leaded fuels. Health experts also categorize leaded petrol as a possible cause of various chronic disorders, usually associated with ageing, such as hypertension and cognitive decline. So the more we use leaded petrol, the more at risk the women’s risk is.
Another activity that is affects the health of many women is deforestation. A typical African woman is a rural woman who depends on forests for firewood and its medicinal value. Destruction if this forests has several effects in the woman, which include walking long distances in search of firewood making them physically weak and vulnerable to diseases.
Women are also the main producers of food from their subsistence agricultural practices. Bad environmental practices affect them through changed weather patterns and soil degradation that in turn leads to less production of food and hence diminished family and self-health.
With this realization, it is therefore important to include the women in any environmental conservation measures. By doing this now not only will we be in a position to avert the death of millions of people.
So next time you are told to conserve your environment, please do so because the future depends on it.
