Ushah Kazi
Traditional paradigms have often restricted our understanding of women’s health to a narrow focus on reproductive matters. Health initiatives aimed at women have historically been confined to maternity clinics and birth control distribution.
As Shaista Ayesha, CEO of SEED Ventures reveals in an interview, “when it comes to women’s wellness, one of the important things is to ask questions, and usually, that is not encouraged.” This limited lens ignores the broader, multi-dimensional aspects of well-being that women, as unique individuals and as a distinct gender, rightfully deserve.
Women are not merely different versions of men; they face unique health challenges and life experiences. Recognizing these differences is essential for the effective management of their well-being. For instance, women experience higher rates of mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.
Comprehensive approaches that encompass emotional, mental, and physical health across various transformative life stages are vital.
Keeping a commitment to more comprehensive approaches in mind, SEED Ventures launched the sustainability platform “What’s the Alternative” (WTA), which focuses on the pillars of environment, wellness, and lifestyle.
The sustainability and well-being of communities are inextricably linked with the health and empowerment of women. Commenting on how women often have to deal with health-related concerns such as infertility in isolation, Ayesha notes, “not only does this have physical implications, but it also has mental health implications.”
Women are often the primary caregivers and educators in families, making their well-being a direct influencer of the next generation and, consequently, the long-term health of the community. As Ayesha explains, “as a child matures, her dealings with her own menstrual health, and how stakeholders deal with her as she gets older, will greatly impact what kind of a mother she will be and what her overall health will be like.”
Thus, for their second event for 2023, WTA will be holding a symposium on women’s wellness called EmpowerHER, where experts and women from different walks of life can have open discussions about their overall wellness. Scheduled to take place on October 18, 2023, from 9 AM to 1 PM at Mövenpick, Karachi, this event will showcase WTA’s holistic approach to alternatives for women wellbeing. Alternatives and sustainable practices extend beyond resource management and ecological balance to human well-being. Healthy, empowered women are more likely to engage in sustainable household and community practices, ranging from waste management to ethical consumption.
Moreover, economically empowering women has a ripple effect on various sustainable development goals, such as poverty alleviation and quality education.
According to the International Labour Organization, approximately 865 million women could contribute more fully to their economies, thus positively impacting global sustainable development. Neglecting the holistic well-being of women not only hampers their full participation in the workforce but also misses an opportunity to harness their potential for economic and social advancement.
Despite these compelling statistics, women continue to be underrepresented in the workforce. One of the primary barriers is the failure to address their holistic well-being, which is not just a health issue but also an economic one.
Commenting on the various taboos that make open and transformative conversations about women’s health and wellness impossible, Shaista Ayesha maintains that “as long as that continues to happen, we cannot have a healthy, prosperous society.”
The solution lies in breaking these restrictive paradigms and adopting a multi-dimensional perspective on women’s wellness. The alternative is breaking the box. This involves understanding the unique physiological, emotional, and mental needs that women encounter throughout their lives. Effectively managing these transformative stages, such as proper care during menopause or stress management at critical career junctures, marks the thin line between fostering empowered, healthy women and perpetuating cycles of neglect and disadvantage.
By doing so, we uplift not only half the population but also contribute positively to global economic and social sustainability.
Find out more about Whats the Alternative and EmpowerHER: Women’s Wellness Symposium on www.whatsthealternative.pk
The writer is a Pakistani-Canadian content creator and writer who has written extensively about Pakistan with a particular focus on sustainability. Her work has appeared in Pakistani and North American publications.
