India- An Overview of the CountryIndia, a country in Southeast Asia, has the second highest population in the world. Out of a billion people residing in the country, 120 million women live in poverty. The male-female birth ratio is 1.05 males to 1 female. The life expectancy of the average person is sixty-four years. They have a literacy rate (people over the age of fifteen who can read and write) of 59.5%, with 70.2% of males being literate and 48.3% of females being able to read and write ( cia.gov). India's economy is based primarily on traditional village agriculture, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries and a multitude of support services. It is a patriarchal society, which means that men are in charge of social and family matters. Women are not considered equal to their male counterparts and are expected to be obedient to males. Due to the large and unfavorable power shift, women face injustice and inequality in almost every aspect of their lives. One main issue that has always been present and continues to be problematic is that of the inequalities women face when it comes to healthcare. What types of services are available to women during pregnancy, and what types of conditions result from these limited services? The common belief when it comes to pregnancy is that it is an ordinary part of every woman's life. Although the birth of a child is an extremely emotional and happy time for a family, “the mother and child are considered 'impure' and 'polluting'” (Hussain, 2001). When a woman is pregnant, she receives special treatment in her family, she is often not asked to do housework and is fed much better, but only if the expected child will be a boy. Often, if it is known that the woman will have a daughter, she is expected to carry out all her household duties anyway, no matter how dangerous it may be for the fetus. Prenatal and postnatal health care is usually not provided to women. Most women, more than 50%, give birth to their baby at home. The moment she is taken to the hospital is when she will give birth to a male child. In the article “Do Women Really Have a Voice? Reproductive Behavior and Practices of Two Religious Communities”, Sabiha Hussain (2001) tells the story of a woman...... half of the document...... October 28, 2004 from the ProQuest database.Improving Women's Health in India. Retrieved October 28, 2004, from www.worldbank.orgJohnson, Katherine. (2003). Sweat for nothing. Female Feature Service New Delhi. Retrieved October 28, 2004, from the ProQuest database.Kasturi, Leela. (December 31, 2000). Greater political representation for women: the case of India. Asian Journal of Women's Studies Seoul:. vol. 4, number 4, page. 9. Retrieved October 28, 2004, from ProQuest database. Slugget, Catherine. (April 30, 1999). Women for women in India: two unique projects aimed at women in India. Trikone San Jose Magazine: Vol. 14, Iss. 2, page. 11 Retrieved October 28, 2004, from the ProQuest database. Women and health: India; The "Male Factor" in Women's Poor Reproductive HealthWin News Lexington: Winter 2000. Vol. 26, Iss. 1, page. 19. Retrieved October 28, 2004, from the ProQuest database. Women and Health. Win News Lexington: Fall 1992. vol. 18, Iss. 4, page. 21. Retrieved October 28, 2004, from ProQuest.India database.(2004). Book of world facts. Retrieved November 2, 2004, from www.cia.gov.Zucker, Jessica. (2001). A snapshot of women's reproductive health in India. Global reproductive health.