Goa’s women empowerment indicators improve: Data

Panaji: The percentage of women in Goa who own property, have access to the internet, and decide how to spend their earnings has increased significantly, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6. However, the burden of family planning continues to fall overwhelmingly on women, with an almost negligible proportion of men undergoing sterilisation.

The survey also found an increase in spousal violence in the state since the previous round.

NFHS-6 showed that 94% of women in Goa had used the internet, compared to 91% of men. The figures mark a sharp rise from the previous survey, when 73.7% of women and 69.7% of men reported having ever used the internet.

The proportion of women who owned a house or land, either individually or jointly, rose to 21.4% in NFHS-6 from 16% in the previous survey.

Among currently married women aged 15-49, 23.4% had undergone sterilisation, while only 0.1% of married men in the same age group had done so. The survey also found that 39% of women had access to modern family planning methods, while 33.8% relied on “traditional” methods.

Another concerning finding was that 11.3% of ever-married women aged 18-49 reported experiencing spousal violence at some point, up from 8.3% in the previous survey. Of these, 2% said they experienced violence during pregnancy.

The survey also highlighted several positive indicators. As many as 92.5% of currently married women said they usually participate in household decision-making.

The proportion of women with a bank or savings account that they operate themselves increased to 91.1% from 88.3% in the previous survey.

Nine out of 10 women surveyed said they owned and used a mobile phone, while 97.5% of women aged 15-24 reported using “hygienic methods” during menstruation.

More than 90% of women received an antenatal check-up during the first trimester, had births protected against neonatal tetanus, and received postnatal care from a doctor, nurse, or other health professional.

The proportion of women aged 20-24 who were married before the age of 18 remained low at 6.8%. The survey also found that 99.6% of births in Goa took place in institutional facilities.