Not only men but even married women are opting in lesser numbers for the Government’s sterlisation programmes. According to the latest data available from the Union Health Ministry, while the number of males opting for sterlisation has come down sharply from 1,77,484 in 2011-12 to 90974 in 2013-14, female participation in the government’s family programme too has declined from 47,08,600 to 41,22,175 in the same years.
The decline in male numbers comes despite the fact that sterilisation is simpler and less-invasive to perform on men than on women. The male vasectomy also has a quicker recovery time, complications are rare and deaths are even less common. However, given that in India female sterlisation is more acceptable than the males in a patriarchal society like ours, some of the States have reported better number of female participation in the sterlisation tool used for family planning.
According to a 2012 Human Rights report, male and female health workers acknowledged that they actively sought women for sterilisation because they “found it easier to convince women than men”. However, overall, the numbers have declined which is a cause of worry for the Government, struggling hard to meet the ever growing needs of the burgeoning populations.
Health Ministry officials say that the decline in sterlisation number paints a grim picture of the maternal health indicators of the country. The tool is not opted as the families from the poor sector remain skeptical of the survival of their children in view of poor health facilities, they say.
According to a report, India has one of the world’s worst records in maternal health care, with 200 women dying for every 100,000 giving birth. Its infant mortality rate at 63 deaths of every 1,000 newborn babies is also worrisome.