Poverty, scarce education or economic opportunities, gender bias, gender discrimination, and unjust laws impede advancements in women’s health worldwide. These factors intersect, and they restrict women’s access to important health services and the education they need to improve their lives and the lives of their children. When women’s health concerns, women’s rights, and empowerment are made a priority, the results are immense improvements in the health and well-being of women, their children, and their communities on a global scale (The Regents of the University of California, 2012).
In 1994, at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Egypt, the empowerment and autonomy of women, as well as improvements in their political, social, economic, and health status were recognized as vitally important goals in and of themselves. Education was highlighted as one of the most important means of empowering women with the knowledge, skills, and autonomy necessary for them to participate in their own development. In addition to education, the ICPD stated that women must be guaranteed the right to exercise control over their reproductive rights and to manage their reproductive roles. This implies the ability to have a satisfying, safe sex life and the capacity to reproduce, as well as the freedom to decide if and when they have children. The ICPD stated that reproductive health care should include but not be limited to family planning information, prenatal care, delivery and post-natal care, health care for women and infants, and prevention and treatment of infertility and sexually transmitted diseases. The ICPD stated these rights should be the basis of government policies and programs throughout the world (United Nations Population Information Network [POPIN], 1994).
In 2000, the United Nations adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration, which identified several “fundamental values” essential to international relations in the 21st century. These values addressed women’s rights as well and included (United Nations, 2015):
- The freedom of men and women to live their lives and raise their children in dignity, free from hunger and the fear of violence, oppression, or injustice.
- The importance of equality and the assurance that the equal rights and opportunities of women and men must be a priority.
- The importance of gender equality and empowerment of women in the fight against poverty, hunger, and disease.