You should have guessed that the girl at the beginning of the article is not a certain person, but a generation of Chinese women.
The above data are mainly from the major report "Seventy Years of Women's and Children's Health in China" published in The Lancet magazine, and the terminal statistical monitoring report of the "Outline for the Development of Chinese Women (2011-2020)" issued by the National Bureau of Statistics.
The paper is titled "The Lancet China Female Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health Invited Major Report" (screenshot source: the Lancet)
Even without these authoritative statistical reports, looking at them or ourselves as women, it is difficult not to sigh:
Chinese women are becoming stronger!
Today is International Women's Day, and we look forward to joining you in applauding the remarkable Chinese women: in the more than seventy years since the founding of New China, Chinese women have gained their strength from becoming "half the sky".
But don't forget, on this day every year, we receive a reminder:
It is not only on this day that women are named "queens" and "goddesses" and are treated solemnly, what we have to do is to make every "she" happy in the days to come.
There is much more to be done on this road. Just from the health side, we can do these things:
01
Universal screening for breast and cervical cancer, and universalization of HPV vaccination among women of appropriate age
● In 2013, the breast cancer screening rate for women aged 35 to 64 in mainland China was 22.5% (28.9% in urban areas and 17.0% in rural areas), and the screening rate for cervical cancer was 26.7% (31.8% in urban areas and 22.3% in rural areas). These indicators are well below the criteria recommended by the World Health Organization [7-9].
● Cervical cancer is the main "killer" that threatens women's health, and it is also the only cancer with a clear etiology, preventable and controllable, and can be effectively prevented by HPV vaccination. However, the actual coverage rate of HPV vaccine in the mainland is currently low, with the vaccination rate of less than 3% of the adolescent population and less than 6% of the whole population.
Women of appropriate age (9 to 45 years of age), especially girls aged 9 to 15 years, require early HPV vaccination [10,11].
Strengthen the popularization of HPV vaccine education and vaccination, early vaccination and early prevention, so that more and more Chinese women of appropriate age can stay away from the harm of cervical cancer as soon as possible [12].
02
Reject sexual and gender-based violence
●24.7% of women have experienced different forms of violence from their partners [13];
●5.5% of women have experienced physical violence (3.1% in urban and 7.8% in rural areas), and 7.7% have experienced partner violence during pregnancy [14-15].
Violence, the harm to women is self-evident. Not only women, but also many men are also subjected to gender-based and sexual violence.
Victims of violence may seek legal and social assistance. If you find violence, don't ignore it because you think that domestic violence is a "family affair", please call the police in time, and stop the violence within your ability.
03
More honest and universal sex education
● About 6.9 per cent of girls aged 15 to 19 years (10.8 per cent in urban areas and 4.5 per cent in rural areas) are sexually active.
●When a teen becomes unplanned to become pregnant, the vast majority (>90 percent) choose to have a miscarriage, which can adversely affect their physical and mental health [16-19].
Face up to sex education, sex education is not only the education of sexual behavior, but also the education of gender, sexual safety and personal growth.
04
More attention is paid to women's mental health
● The incidence of perinatal depression (commonly known as postpartum depression) alone can be as high as 17.4% [20-21].
Women's mental health problems are often overlooked, for example, there are still many people who think that women are "pretentious" and use "menopause" as a humiliating word.
Paying more attention to women's mental health and emotional state, providing timely help to them when they encounter difficulties, or turning them to professionals, will reduce the number of women struggling with depression.
The above articles are only proposals from the perspective of health. But in reality, women are bound not only by the body:
Entering the workplace, women have to face employment gender discrimination and promotion "glass ceiling";
In the family, the value of the labour of a full-time housewife is not guaranteed and recognized;
Because "it is incomplete for women not to have children", and the fertility requirements of women's own wishes are ignored;
After becoming a mother, you not only have to balance childcare and work, but also face fewer opportunities for promotion and "motherhood punishment" that is not trusted.
(What else to focus on?) What else can we do? You are welcome to add in the comments section)
Untying these "shackles" can allow more of them to get rid of the shackles and live their wonderful lives.
According to the Beijing Declaration[22] (a resolution adopted by the United Nations at the end of the Fourth World Conference on Women on 15 September 1995):
Women's rights are human rights, and the empowerment of women and their full participation on an equal footing in all spheres of society, including participation in decision-making processes and opportunities for power, are the basis for achieving social equality, development and peace.
Achieving this goal is inseparable from the efforts of each of us:
If you are a woman, be confident in yourself, starting by actively fighting for the schools, positions, and awards you want;
If you are a man, you can start by being aware of the inequalities that exist around you, changing stereotypes, and giving respect to the women around you;
If you are a parent of a child, you can start by treating girls and boys in the family equally and giving children appropriate sex education;
Regardless of your gender, you can start by supporting women's right to education, respecting women's career choices and reproductive decisions, providing women with fair educational opportunities and job treatment within your ability, and recognizing the value of women's labor.
The more "you" who do this, the more reason we have to believe:
Chinese women will get better and better!
Reviewer: Han Le
Department of Infection Control and Disease Prevention Health Education, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University
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Editors: Emgrand, Guo Qian, Zhang Xiaoyi, Wang Yan
Drawn: Immortal Mixing | Proofreading: Wu Yihe | Typesetting: Li Yongmin
Operation: Han Ningning | Coordinator: Wu Wei