Levels of Progression of Reproductive Needs among Women in India: A Need for Evidence-based Intervention

Introduction: In order to promote gender equity and address the diverse needs of women in their reproductive years, it is essential to ensure access to economic opportunities, education and reproductive health care services. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) three and five focus on good health and well-being and gender equality respectively. Therefore, broadly, this paper focuses on the extent of progress in meeting the different needs of women in reproductive ages. Identification of states that are lagging in addressing these needs is essential for holistic well-being of the women in their reproductive years. Methods: The paper is based on a quantitative and qualitative techniques in order to handle the large volume of collected data related to various dimensions of women. Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25, has been used for statistical and cartographic representation of the observation. Statistical techniques such as mean, standard deviation and 'z' has been applied to bring all the indicators to a comparable platform. Results: The study finds that states in southern India perform better than most of the northern Indian states and most of the smaller states outperform larger states. It is probably because the former states have been implementing welfare policies more effectively than the latter ones. Discussion: The low performing states may follow the best practices, programmes and policies of the states and UTs displaying better levels of progression. Therefore, in order to promote women's well-being, empowerment, and the health of future generations, it is imperative that their reproductive needs be met. Addressing these needs is essential to ensure maternal and child care, and overall family and societal well-being. This in-turn leads to a balanced, progressive and more inclusive society.