Throughout South Asia, many levels of inequalities exist in the form of class, religion, ethnicity, and, most importantly, gender. By simply being born as a woman in South Asia, a person may be disadvantaged severely. Previous studiesprovide considerable evidence on how men and boys are prioritized at any point in life over women and girls. Additionally, when it comes to mental health, a stigma and taboo in South Asia, the situation and treatment of women are much worse. The societal and family expectations for women, the societal price tag of South Asian women, and the stigma surrounding their mental health portray the disturbing situation of South Asian women.
Societal and Family Expectations on South Asian Women
From the moment of birth until the moment of their death, most South Asian females are expected to follow certain trajectories and rules put up by society. They are expected to respect the opinions of men, be modest, marry young, and raise children. They are excluded from major decision-making processes and, most of the time, threatened by their male counterpart if they “step out of the line”. In all levels of life, women are considered the subordinate of men, and their talents and skills are swept under the rug. As such, they are expected to be dependent on men. The most famous line that most South Asian women have heard at least once from a family member when they do something out of the ordinary is, “what will others think?”.
South Asian communities are collectivistic in nature. Collectivistic communities “prioritize the needs, values, and expectations of the family of origin” and put family values over individual values. Individual values do not matter in these kinds of communities and family comes before individual happiness, goals, and dreams in life. This exact mindset puts additional stress on women as they have the most restrictive gender role. Moreover, the pressure of meeting societal values causes their mental health to deteriorate.
Societal Price Tag of Women in South Asia
Females in South Asia are, without a doubt, highly devalued. Abortion of female fetuses due to just their sex or “gender” is not unusual. In India, for example, the rate of adoption of female fetuses was getting out of hand that the doctors were required to not reveal the gender of the fetus before birth. However, even this requirement did not decrease the harm against female infants. On some occasions, female infants were killed after the parents found out the gender of the infant. India has one of the highest rates of female infanticide in the world. Many United Nations reports reveal the disturbing truths behind female infanticide in South Asia.
An explanation as to why South Asian societies value males over females is that they believe males have several utilities while females are only burdens. Due to the dowry system in South Asia, which requires the family of the bride to pay a price to the family of the groom as compensation to marry the bride, females are seen as an economic liability. This kind of mentality has been so engraved into the South Asian societies that progress to change such mentality is slow and almost unnoticeable.
The Stigma of Mental Health in South Asia
No matter the gender, mental health is highly stigmatized in South Asia. The situation was extremely problematic to the point where if an individual showed signs of a mental health disorder, they were considered to be possessed by an evil spirit. These individuals would be sent to temples or other religious buildings for the priest to scare away the evil spirit. Furthermore, these individuals were closed away from the rest of society as families feared judgment and bad luck.
The mental health literacy in South Asia has yet to reach a proficient threshold. Even though there has been progress, more work still needs to be done. Another area that requires work is changing the traditional mentality of South Asian societies. Educating the current and future generations on respecting and valuing women is just the first step of that process.