Mental Health In India: How Are Social Inequalities Shaping It?

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February 20 is recognised as the World Day of Social Justice.

By definition, “social justice is about fairness ― it encompasses basic needs, opportunities, wealth, every other system within society and is about ensuring equality for all people,” but in reality, we are way far from all of these, which in turn have also resulted into unequal access to mental healthcare within our society.

It is no hidden truth that how several social inequalities have accumulated to several mental health issues among individuals, but the very fact that they cannot get proper care for the same is also very disheartening.

Let’s take a look at these ‘unsaid, but very persistent’ social inequalities which are shaping mental health in India ― and how addressing the same could make us a better nation (trust me)!

Economic inequality

According to many studies, individuals belonging to lower socioeconomic status (SES) are more prone to mental health issues ― at the same time, unable to get access to mental healthcare as well.

A research done by Oxfam India suggests that ‘80% of healthcare in India is offered by the private sector, making mental health care unaffordable to the underprivileged’.

In layman terms, mental healthcare in India is no less than Gucci or Zara ― designed for the riches ― accessible to the posh.

DID YOU KNOW?
Over 700 million people live on less than $1.90 per day: World Bank

Racial inequality

India is home to several castes ― the whole system is driven by religions and runs on castes, subcastes, races, cultures and traditions.

Some researchers have suggested that minorities face sorrow and anxiety more likely as compared to upper-caste individuals. Moreover, the current hostile and violent socio-political environment has touched many individuals from the minor communities and is affecting their day-to-day life and health severely.

The cases of harassment, sexual assaults and torture are more prevalent in minor communities or states that are dominantly run by religion-biased people.

DID YOU KNOW?
There was a 20% increase in cases of reported mental illness during the first nationwide lockdown in March 2020: Indian Psychiatric Society

(Unequal) Access to education

“Khana chhor dega, lekin bachaa logo ko padhana nahi!!”

That’s what a 40YO cobbler said on being asked about his financial issues. People belonging to a lower caste, low-income background or remote areas give up everything to ensure a quality education for their children but fail to afford the high-profile fees that the private sector demands.

That being said, the only option left for them are small public schools or government institutions that are not up to the mark or fail to provide the same quality of education.

This results in low confidence and inferiority among the students ― which adds to their mental stress and the dream of becoming ‘big’ in life.

Petty factors like fluency in English, being presentable or cracking interviews scare them and, sometimes, convince them to settle down for low-wage jobs or risk-free but unhappy career options.

DID YOU KNOW?
Ignoring mental health could reduce India’s economic growth by $11 trillion in 2030: World Health Organisation

LGBTQ+ discrimination

According to Meyer’s Minority Stress Theory, ‘members of sexual minority groups are subjected to chronic psychosocial stress in the context of pervasive prejudice, discrimination, and stigma within their social environments’.

We are one of those countries that have yet to accept sexual diversity and inclusion completely.

We, being home to ~1.4B people, still choose to discriminate against people based on their gender & sexual orientation, which adds to the overall messed up mental healthcare system of our country.

DID YOU KNOW?
3% of the Indian population identify as homosexual, 9% as bisexual, 1% as pansexual and 2% as asexual: Ipsos

Unfortunately, 17% identify as NOT heterosexual, which excludes ‘do not know’, and ‘prefer not to answer’ options as well. Just imagine the kind of trauma they are forced to live their life with ― hiding their true identities and forced to live behind the closet.

Gender inequality

While I have the privilege of writing this while working from home, not every woman has.

That being said, several women from even financial backgrounds, upper castes or with higher degrees are subjected to gender inequality.

Domestic violence and marital rape silently exist in India ― even behind the walls of some of the sanskaari homes. And it just adds up to the number of mental health issues that go unreported in the country every day.

And this not even includes the discrimination that women (and transwomen) face in their offices, schools or colleges!

DID YOU KNOW?
If things keep going the way they are, it will take 100 years to reach gender equality: World Economic Forum

And while these are some of the major social inequalities that we need to address, there are many other issues that go unnoticed by us ― and lead to severe mental health issues.

>>> A lot of students, despite their caste, religion or SES, face mental health issues.

>>> Several number of mental health cases and incidents are reported by senior citizens of the country.

>>> A lot of women face postpartum depression, while many others have PTSD.

>>> A large section of men in our society are highly ignored and are expected to fulfil their ‘men’ duties which results in severe anxiety and depression.

>>> Working professionals, despite their gender, face a lot of mental stress at their workplaces ― both public and private ones. The pandemic was one such example of how an improper work-life balance can disrupt our mental stability.

There are a lot of stigmas attached to mental health in our society. While the unaffordability of mental health care is something that needs to be fixed, people also need to talk about it with their friends and families actively.

Ignoring mental health issues and terming it just a ‘phase’ of life can lead to drastic actions ― and we do see and hear about such cases every day.

It’s high time to start speaking against the injustices that we witness in our daily lives ― to start protecting the rights of people who are constantly sidelined by our society. That’s when we might consider recognising World Day of Social Justice in a true manner!

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In the past few decades, entrepreneurship has gained popularity. As we witnessed the year 2020, it goes without saying that a lot of entrepreneurs emerged at that point in time. The past decade also witnessed a spike in female entrepreneurship.

Females in more numbers knowingly began to opt for entrepreneurship as their career choice. While the roadway didn’t look easier but stable laws and policies helped them pave their ways. With the help of different government schemes, now females can jump into the pool of entrepreneurship and take that opportunity.

To inspire our female audience to take up entrepreneurship as their career option and let them know what are the entrepreneurship schemes and laws in their favor, we have compiled a list. Read on to know about the laws that you must understand if you are a female entrepreneur.

Equal remuneration: This looks like a basic right but trusts me, it wasn’t the case before. Yes, the law abides a company to pay males and females equally for an equal amount of work. This means, whether you are offering a job or doing it, one cannot deny equal pay based on the fact that you are a woman.

Sexual harassment at work: in 1997, guidelines to be followed at the workplace were laid down. Before that, an anti-sexual harassment law was a far fetched thought. Post those guidelines, an act was passed which defined what sexual harassment is and the respective punishment for that offense.

Annapurna Scheme: In this, the government finances women to establish a food Catering Unit for selling tiffin/food/lunch packs, etc offering a loan of up to Rs.50,000. The rate of interest varies, depending upon the market and the bank. However, one guarantor is required to avail of this scheme.

Stree Shakti Package: Launched by Oriental Bank of Commerce, the scheme provides capital for women for starting small businesses. Who is eligible for this loan? Women with 51% share in the business are eligible for the loan. One must note that this loan does not require any collateral.

Dena Shakti Scheme: The provider of this scheme is Dena bank and it is given to those women entrepreneurs in the fields of Agriculture & allied activities, Retail Trade, Micro Credit, Education, Housing, and retail & small business enterprises. Also, there is a concession of 0.25 % on a rate of interest.

TREAD: With the aim of empowering women economically the scheme helps in providing credit, training, development, and counseling as well. Some amount is also granted by the government.

By taking the advantage of these schemes, women who wish to begin their small or medium-sized businesses can come ahead and begin without any hindrance. Apart front his, there are many private banks that offer loans to the female owners of small businesses.