Almost sixty-four percent of American women are more independent than they were five years ago. The biggest progress is seen in their careers (65%), education (55%), and politics (46%). However, when a survey was undertaken almost half the women (47%) felt that the society puts a higher value to the health of the American men than the health of the women.

Findings of the study
The study comprising two thousand five hundred American women resulted in showing that nearly seven out of ten women put the health of their families prior to their own health. Over thirty-five percent of working women use their sick leaves to care for some other member of their families. Moreover, twenty-four percent felt that they were disadvantaged because they used their sick leaves to tender to someone else during ill health. This was more prominent in working mothers with children living at homes (forty percent) felt this to be true.

Additional key results of the study
Fifty-five percent of the women felt that the recent reforms to the healthcare services will slowdown the development of women’s health. Roughly fifty percent thought that they needed better government representation while forty-seven percent considered leadership in the pharmaceutical industry was important to improve women’s health. More than twenty-two percent women choose male doctors over female physicians. Sixty-two percent of working women stay at home to look after sick children in comparison to forty-seven percent working fathers who take a leave. Almost eighty-four percent of the women thought that there would be difficulties to manage daily work if they were to become unwell. Almost ninety percent of mothers make the decisions about their family’s health in comparison to sixty-four fathers who make such choices.

Women sacrificing their health
According to the Monique da Silva who is a working mother of three children said, more women are sacrificing their health to look after their families and trying to balance their homes and work places. Considering the status of the society’s perception of women health, it is important to value women and find ways to support the women in their pursuit of balancing their lives. According to the survey, roughly twenty-two percent of the women paid for buying prescription drugs for other individuals due to the limited availability of money. The results found in this survey are crucial to identify the pressure points that will make women consider the importance of paying attention to their health.