Working with women to improve child and community eye health

The social context In these slums and rural areas, most families are poor. Women also tend to have lower levels of education, less financial independence, and lower social status than men. But why is this so? There is also a strong preference for sons in these areas of India, with daughters being viewed as economic burdens. This preference for sons, combined with high dowry costs for daughters, means that many parents would rather pay for their sons than their daughters to receive education or vocational training – especially when families are poor and their resources are limited. When daughters reach adulthood, they are less educated than their brothers and therefore less able to earn a living and to be financially independent. This reinforces the view of women as economic burdens and contributes to their lower social status. As a result, women often have very little say in how family resources are allocated are less able to ensure that their children, daughters in particular, will receive the eye care they need. They also have less influence in community decisions that affect eye health.