Table 5 Gender Barriers in the CMCHIS [Source: Authors]
Gender Specific | Gender Intensified | Gender Imposed |
|---|---|---|
(Barriers that are closely linked to masculinity and femininity norms, exclusive to each gender) | (Barriers faced by both men and women but intensified for women) | (Gender biases reflected in institutional norms [written or unwritten]) |
For Women: | ||
Restricted mobility to participate in community activities and reach healthcare services | Lack of literacy and poor participation in awareness and enrollment activities of scheme | Requirement of female attendants for hospital admissions for women |
Continuous burden of care work (cooking, cleaning, caring for old, young, sick) | Lack of documentary evidence to access scheme benefits | Insurance policies discriminating women who are not wives or mothers or outside mainstream relationships |
Notions of sacrifice and guilt | Age, marital status, class, caste, political inequalities intersect with gender to accentuate barriers | Impact of health insurance measured with household as an egalitarian unit making women’s experiences invisible |
Poor perception of one’s own health needs | Poor negotiating skills with persons of authority to claim entitlements | |
For Men: | ||
Increased mobility resulting in risks of accidents | Cherry picking by providers and induced utilization | |
Risk taking and aggression resulting in perpetrating and subject of violence | Poor financial protection from OOPE resulting in delay in hospitalization and distress coping | |
Burden of bringing income as head of household | Insurance mechanisms weakening public healthcare institutions | |