Cited by 125Public Health and Social InequalitiesGender, Health, and Social InequalityHealthcare Systems and Reforms

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 63 of the 65 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 4 of the 31 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

The gendered experience with respect to health-seeking behaviour in an urban slum of Kolkata, India

Open access
Das, Moumita, Angeli, Federica, Krumeich, Anja J. S. M., van Schayck, Onno C. P.·2018·International Journal for Equity in Health

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Empirical evidence shows that the relationship between health-seeking behaviour and diverse gender elements, such as gendered social status, social control, ideology, gender process, marital status and procreative status, changes across settings. Given the high relevance of social settings, this paper intends to explore how gender elements interact with health-seeking practices among men and women residing in an Indian urban slum, in consideration of the unique socio-cultural context that characterises India's slums. METHODS: The study was conducted in Sahid Smriti Colony, a peri-urban slum of Kolkata, India. The referral technique was used for selecting participants, as people in the study area were not very comfortable in discussing their health issues and health-seeking behaviours. The final sample included 66 participants, 34 men and 32 women. Data was collected through individual face-to-face in-depth interviews with a semi-structured questionnaire. RESULTS: The data analysis shows six categories of reasons underlying women's preferences for informal healers, which are presented in the form of the following themes: cultural competency of care, easy communication, gender-induced affordability, avoidance of social stigma and labelling, living with the burden of cultural expectations and geographical and cognitive distance of formal health care. In case of men ease of access, quality of treatment and expected outcome of therapies are the three themes that emerged as the reasons behind their preferences for formal care. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that both men and women utilise formal and informal care, but with different motives and expectations, leading to contrasting health-seeking outcomes. These gender-induced contrasts relate to a preference for socio-cultural (women) versus technological (men) therapies and long (women) versus fast (men) treatment, and are linked to their different societal and familial roles. The role of women in following and maintaining socio-cultural norms leads them to focus on care that involves long discussions mixed with socio-cultural traits that help avoid economic and social sanctions, while the role of men as bread earners requires them to look for care that ensures a fast and complete recovery so as to avoid financial pressures.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This qualitative study in an urban slum of Kolkata finds that both men and women use formal and informal care, but with gendered motives: women prioritize socio-cultural compatibility and avoiding social/economic sanctions, while men prioritize fast, complete recovery to maintain their breadwinner role. The authors argue these contrasting preferences are linked to different societal and familial roles rather than simple formal-versus-informal divides.

Key findings

  • Among 66 participants (34 men, 32 women), formal care only was used by 12 men (35%) and 0 women; informal care only by 7 men (21%) and 15 women (47%); both formal and informal care by 0 men and 10 women (31%); no use by 15 men (44%) and 7 women (22%).
  • Women’s preferences for informal healers were organized into six themes: cultural competency of care, easy communication, gender-induced affordability, avoidance of social stigma and labelling, living with the burden of cultural expectations, and geographical and cognitive distance of formal health care.
  • Men’s preferences for formal care were organized into three themes: ease of access, quality of treatment, and expected outcome of therapies.
  • The paper concludes that women often move back and forth between informal and formal care to balance economic and socio-cultural demands, while men are generally more static in choosing formal care because they need quick, complete recovery to avoid financial pressures.

Methods

  • Exploratory qualitative study conducted in Sahid Smriti Colony, a peri-urban slum of Kolkata, India, during August–September 2012.
  • Participants were recruited via referral/snowballing; final sample was 66 adults (34 men, 32 women) from Hindu, Muslim, and Christian groups, aged over 16, Bengali-speaking, resident at least five years, and able to recall treatment experiences.
  • Data came from individual face-to-face in-depth interviews using a semi-structured guide; interviews lasted about 45–60 minutes, were audio recorded, transcribed, translated into English, and analyzed thematically with separate coding for male and female participants.

Limitations

  • The paper states that the female researcher may have favored openness among female respondents but may have introduced bias in gathering male perspectives.
  • The paper states that findings cannot be generalized to other contexts, and even generalization to other slums should be cautious because each slum has a unique religious, ethnic, linguistic, socio-cultural, and socio-economic composition.
  • The paper states that its focus on gendered health experiences means other traits influencing health care-seeking and interacting with gender may not have been addressed; the text also notes that the sample could not be selected on an equal basis because of absenteeism or unwillingness to participate or refer others.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1186/s12939-018-0738-8

Cites

63 of 63 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

50 Own result · 17 Own interpretation · 7 Own method · 6 No full text of the sources · 5 Not checked yet · 5 No basis given · 3 Partly supported · 2 Sources not found · 1 Couldn’t confirm · accuracy not yet measured

Verify all 4 references — free account

Show all 40 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 50
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 17
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1
56 of 56
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Direct physical contacts with unfamiliar men or known men outside relations are culturally proclaimed as a sexual association and women’s position in society is marked as impure and unholy.

    “Direct physical contacts with these men are culturally proclaimed as a sexual association and women’s position in society is marked as impure and unholy.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    In India, a major share of expenditure on health care is being borne out-of-pocket by the poor.

    “In India, a major share of expenditure on health care is being borne out-of-pocket by the poor.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Men are the main source of income in the family.

    “Men who are in work consider that time is best spent earning money and fulfilling families’ requirements, since they are the main source of income.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Formal care is effective.

    “Thus, in spite of being aware of the fact that formal care is effective, they undermine its value, thinking that at some point in time they will have to face mobility restrictions, resulting into abandoning the treatment before its conclusion.”
4 of 4

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

2 of 2

Citations

Cites

Show all 65 references

Research works printed but not linked: 7

  1. Martinez Jr R, Lee MT. On immigration and crime. Criminal justice. 2000;1:486–524.
  2. Harrison J, Chin J, Ficarrotto T. Warning: Masculinity may be dangerous to your health. In: Kimmel MS, Messner MA, editors. Men’s lives. New York: Macmillan Press; 1992. p. 271–85.
  3. Sundar R, Sharma A. Morbidity and utilisation of healthcare services: a survey of urban poor in Delhi and Chennai. Econ Polit Wkly. 2002;37:4729–40.
  4. Saville-Troike M. The ethnography of communication (2nd edition). New York: Blackwell; (1989).
  5. Gupta I, Mitra A. Rural migrants and labour segmentation: micro-level evidence from Delhi slums. Econ Polit Wkly. 2002;37:163–8.
  6. Jesani A, Barai T. Ethical guidelines for social science research in health. Mumbai: Cehat; 2000.
  7. Ghuman BS, Mehta A. Healthcare for the poor in India with special reference to Punjab state. Network of Asia-Pacific Schools and Institutes of Public Administration and Governance (NAPSIPAG).; 2006. p. 623–724. Retrieved 2 Jan 2015 ( http://cedo.ina.pt/docbweb/multimedia/associa/interno/electron/e89.pdf#page=642

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Metadata

Authors
Das, M., Angeli, F., Krumeich, A. J. S. M., & van Schayck, O. C. P.
Affiliations
  • Maastricht University (NL)
  • Tilburg University (NL)
Corresponding author
Das, Moumita
Venue
International Journal for Equity in Health
Published
2018-02-14
Volume
17
Issue
1
Pages
24-24
ISSN
1475-9276 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2804432985
Cited by
125
References
65
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 3
FWCI
7.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • International Journal for Equity in Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research portal (Tilburg University) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Publications (Maastricht University) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • SSRN Electronic Journal (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Research Publications (Maastricht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
Institute for Social and Economic Change
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Public Health and Social Inequalities
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Gender, Health, and Social Inequality
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Healthcare Systems and Reforms
Keywords
health-seeking behavior, gender differences, urban slums, traditional medicine, social stigma, gender roles, sociocultural norms, Kolkata
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Culture, Female, Humans, India, Male, Middle Aged, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Poverty Areas, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sex Factors, Social Control, Informal, Urban Population, Health Behavior, Young Adult, Social Stigma

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