Women’s equality in the UK – A health check

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12.58 12.59 (particularly in inner-city areas), has meant maternity services do not respond to the needs of all women. 134 For example, there are significant differentials in maternal health outcomes for different ethnic groups 135 which highlight the importance of addressing racial inequalities in the social determinants of health. There is evidence of much higher rates of infant mortality in babies born to women who were born abroad and/or who belong to settled BMER communities. 136 Studies reviewed for the NICE Guideline on birth outcomes 137 showed that migrant women faced numerous barriers in accessing maternity services, of which language and lack of information about the healthcare system were most significant. 138 A report in 2007 found that women from BME groups have higher maternal mortality rates than other women: 5.6 times higher for Black African women and 3.7 times higher for Black Caribbean women, for example, and BME women had major problems in accessing maternity care. 139 There is evidence that this has still not improved, for example, pregnant migrant women in Birmingham have to rely on food banks to eat. 140 Women in disadvantaged areas in general do not receive the same quality in care, which negatively impacts their (and their child’s) health. 141 Teenage mothers are also three times more likely to suffer from postnatal depression and other mental health problems than older mothers and are more likely to delay seeking maternity care by up to five months or more. 142 Recommendation: Review policies on maternity care, in particular undertake a review of regulations, guidelines and practice with the aim of ensuring access to maternity services for all women Women offenders In 2008 the CEDAW Committee recommended to ensure adequate health, including mental health, services for women in prisons 143 however we have seen little to address this since then. Women in prison in general report high levels of sickness and poor health – in 2011 83% of women in prison stated that they had long-standing illness compared with 32% of the general female population and three quarters were on medication on arrival at prison. 144 For older female prisoners there are also severe problems in regard to access to appropriate, adequate healthcare and in-patient treatment whilst receiving healthcare – for example, shackling in 134. Healthcare Commission (2008) Towards better births: A review of maternity services in England. Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Society/documents/2008/07/10/Towards_better_births.pdf 135. Lewis, G. (2011) Saving Mother’s Lives: Reviewing maternal deaths to make motherhood safer 2006-2008. The eighth report on confidential enquires into maternal deaths in the UK. The Confidential Enquiry into maternal and child health (CEMACH): London http:// www.cdph.ca.gov/data/statistics/Documents/MO-CAPAMR-CMACE-2006-08-BJOG-2011.pdf 136. Maternity Action (2012) Guidance for Commissioning Health Services for Vulnerable Migrant Women. WHEC: London http://www. maternityaction.org.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/guidancecommissioninghealthservvulnmigrantwomen2012.pdf 137. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Intrapartum care (CG55) http://www.nice.org.uk/CG55 Accessed: 19/04/13 138. Maternity Action (2012) Guidance for Commissioning Health Services for Vulnerable Migrant Women. WHEC: London http://www. maternityaction.org.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/guidancecommissioninghealthservvulnmigrantwomen2012.pdf 139. Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (2007) Perinatal mortality 2005. CEMACH: London http://www.erpho.org.uk/ viewResource.aspx?id=16203 140. Lloyd, M. (2012) ‘Food crisis gripping Birmingham as pregnant women go days without a meal’, Birmingham Mail, 11th April 2012 http://www. birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/food-crisis-gripping-birmingham-as-pregnant-182900 141. Department of Health (2009) Tackling Health Inequalities: 10 years on. A review of developments in tackling health inequalities in England over the last ten years. DoH: London http://www.bris.ac.uk/poverty/downloads/keyofficialdocuments/Tackling%20HE%2010%20 years%20on.pdf 142. Platform 51 (2011) Health and wellbeing briefing. Platform 51: London http://www.platform51.org/downloads/resources/infosheets/ P51themesheet_healthwellbeing.pdf 143. CEDAW Committee (2008) Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Forty-first session http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N09/555/92/PDF/ N0955592.pdf?OpenElement Para 20 144. Prison Reform Trust (2011) Bromley Briefing Prison Factfile, December 2011. PRT: London http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/ Documents/Bromley%20Briefing%20December%202011.pdf 126 Women’s equality in the UK: CEDAW shadow report 2013
12.60 12.61 12.62 12.63 12.64 hospital following operations. 145 There is a clear link between mental health problems and the likelihood of being sent to prison. Over a third of women who are sent to prison say they’ve attempted suicide at some time in their life 146 and almost a third have had a previous psychiatric admission before they came into prison. 147 Similarly, there are strong links with having experienced some form of abuse. Up to 50% of women in prison report having experienced violence at home compared with a quarter of male prisoners. One in three women in prison has suffered sexual abuse compared with slightly less than one in ten men. In a case study of 50 prolific self-harmers in women’s prisons, 38 reported that they had experienced abuse or rape while 18 had been abused as a child. 148 (See Appendix: 27 for further information) Alcohol and drugs misuse Binge drinking is increasing at a faster rate among young women but national alcohol policy takes little account of the differences between men and women. 149 The rate at which young women are drinking heavily has increased dramatically in the last ten years. For example, in 2010 half of 15 year old girls reported being drunk in the past week compared to 37% of boys. 150 Women’s drug and alcohol use is often connected to their mental health and experiences of abuse or violence. Heavy drinking puts women at risk of accidents and assault and 12% of girls reported having unprotected sex after drinking alcohol. 151 There are higher levels of recreational drug use among lesbian women (79%) and bisexual women (84%) than among heterosexual women (60%) 152 and 40% of LB drink three times a week compared to a quarter of women in general. 153 However, there are very few drug and alcohol services that are women-only or support certain groups of women to address their specific needs. 154 HIV/AIDS For social and biological reasons, women are particularly vulnerable to HIV. In 2011 23,800 women were living with HIV in the UK but 25% were unaware of their diagnosis. 155 One third of 145. Sclater, E. (2012) NGO Thematic Shadow Report: Older Women’s Rights in the United Kingdom. Older Women’s Network, Europe and National Alliance of Women’s Organisations http://thewomensresourcecentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/ olderwomensrightsukNGOthematic.pdf 146. Prison Reform Trust (2012) Bromley Briefing Prison Factfile, June 2012. PRT: London http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/ Documents/FactfileJune2012.pdf 147. Prison Reform Trust (2011) Bromley Briefing Prison Factfile, December 2011. PRT: London http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/ Documents/Bromley%20Briefing%20December%202011.pdf 148. Corston, J. (2007) A report by Baroness Jean Corston of a review of women with particular vulnerabilities in the Criminal Justice System. Home Office: London http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/corston-report-march-2007.pdf/ 149. Department of Health (2008) The Gender and Access to Health Services Study: Final Report http://www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/attachments/ article/41/The%20gender%20and%20access%20to%20health%20services%20study.pdf 150. Platform 51 (2010) Young women and alcohol. Platform 51: London http://www.platform51.org/downloads/resources/reports/ AlcoholReport.pdf 151. Platform 51 (2010) Young women and alcohol. Platform 51: London http://www.platform51.org/downloads/resources/reports/ AlcoholReport.pdf 152. King, M. et al. (2003) Mental Health and Quality of Life of Gay Men and Lesbians in England and Wales: Controlled cross-sectional study. Mind: London http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14645028 153. Hunt, R. and Dr. Fish, J. (2008) Prescription for Change: Lesbian and bisexual women’s health check. Stonewall: London http://www. stonewall.org.uk/documents/prescription_for_change.pdf 154. Women’s Resource Centre (2010) In All Our Colours: Lesbian, bisexual and trans women’s services in the UK. Briefing 12: LBT women and substance misuse. WRC: London 155. Health Protection Agency (2011) HIV in the United Kingdom: 2011 report http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/ HPAweb_C/1317131685847 Page 5 Women’s equality in the UK: CEDAW shadow report 2013 127
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Women’s equality in the UK - A he
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Women’s equality in the UK - A he
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Appendices (online only) Appendix 1
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• the continued discrimination ag
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• Develop a common model of analy
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Article 9 - Nationality: One third
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investment in social infrastructure
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and increase the marginalisation of
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have been no prosecutions in Englan
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1 2 3 4 5 Introduction This is a Un
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10 11 12 13 housing crisis, a ‘lo
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1.1 1.2 1.3 Article 1 - Overarching
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1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 Women’
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1.17 1.18 1.19 Young women We are a
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2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 consult to “remov
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2.12 2.13 discrimination”. Howeve
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2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 worsen gen
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2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 CEDAW and the l
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3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 would “increase
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3.15 3.16 3.17 and accountable EHRC
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3.22 3.23 3.24 report is was partic
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classes, migrants, and Gypsy, Trave
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the institutional discrimination an
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5.5 5.6 5.7 Case study: 8 Sandra li
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5.12 5.13 5.14 issue. A more approp
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6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Article 6 - Exploit
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6.9 6.10 6.11 to the protection and
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6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 Office’s own
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6.24 6.25 6.26 women and increase t
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6.31 6.32 6.33 6.34 infrequent lap
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7.1 7.2 Article 7 - Political and p
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7.7 7.8 7.9 7.10 The House of Lords
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7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 Recommenda
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7.21 7.22 7.23 Political representa
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9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Article
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9.9 9.10 Mainstreaming gender in th
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9.15 9.16 9.17 biased views towards
Page 75 and 76: 9.21 9.22 9.23 9.24 women. 47 (See
Page 77 and 78: 9.28 9.29 9.30 9.31 New family migr
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Page 81 and 82: 9.39 9.40 9.41 9.42 • Do not redu
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Page 105 and 106: 11.31 11.32 11.33 Introducing more
Page 107 and 108: 11.37 11.38 Case study: 83 Jasmine
Page 109 and 110: 11.42 11.43 11.44 11.45 At the 2012
Page 111 and 112: 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 of women and en
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Page 137 and 138: 13.32 13.33 Case study: 57 “As a
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Page 149 and 150: 14.6 14.7 14.8 disabled and lesbian
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Page 159 and 160: 15.28 15.29 15.30 15.31 has not pro
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19.30 19.31 19.32 19.33 DV is still
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19.38 19.39 19.40 perpetrators thro
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19.43 19.44 19.45 Support for victi
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19.49 19.50 19.51 19.52 Recommendat
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19.57 19.58 19.59 19.60 BMER VAWG p
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19.62 19.63 19.64 19.65 VAWG in hea
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19.70 19.71 19.72 Invisibility of s
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19.77 19.78 19.79 A number of repor
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19.85 19.86 means more provision. T
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Annex 1: The Devolved Administratio
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to 41.8% of rural men. 16 Rural are
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Annex 2: The UK’s relationship wi
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Annex 3: UK reservations and declar
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ESA - Employment and Support Allowa
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Annex 5: Acknowledgements Many than
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Women’s Resource Centre is suppor
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