Gender Inequity in the Reproductive Health Services: A Case Study in Tasikmalaya District, Indonesia

Based on the policy, Integrated Essential Reproductive Health (IERH) Services should be implemented in Primary Health Care (PHC). In fact, there are only few PHCs that implemented the services. The most of the services in the PHC are related to women, if the government does not provide IERH services, it means that women cannot access their rights. The objective of this research was to identify gender inequity in the reproductive health service. A qualitative approach with a Socialist Feminist Perspective was used, and a series of open-ended interviews were conducted. The study was undertaken in Tasikmalaya District, West Java Province, Indonesia in 2010.

This study found that IERH services policy could not be fully implemented because of most policy makers are men, and their policies are gender biased, which tends to ignore women’s rights. These strong patriarchal and capitalist ideologies have restricted women from making decisions and accessing their reproductive health rights. Privatization of the health sector has decreased the accessibility and affordability of the services for women. Moreover, the health workers and religious leaders have applied radical patriarchal interpretation of the Islamic teaching and values against the services.