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Background: Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 is focused on reducing maternal mortality and achieving universal access to reproductive health care. India has made extensive efforts to achieve MDG 5 and in some regions much progress has been achieved. Progress has been uneven and inequitable however, and many women still lack access to maternal and reproductive health care. Objective: In this review, a framework developed by the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) is used to categorize and explain determinants of inequity in maternal and reproductive health in India. Design: A review of peer-reviewed, published literature was conducted using the electronic databases PubMed and Popline. The search was performed using a carefully developed list of search terms designed to capture published papers from India on: 1) maternal and reproductive health, and 2) equity, including disadvantaged populations. A matrix was developed to sort the relevant information, which was extracted and categorized based on the CSDH framework. In this way, the main sources of inequity in maternal and reproductive health in India and their inter-relationships were determined. Results: Five main structural determinants emerged from the analysis as important in understanding equity in India: economic status, gender, education, social status (registered caste or tribe), and age (adolescents). These five determinants were found to be closely interrelated, a feature which was reflected in the literature. Conclusion: In India, economic status, gender, and social status are all closely interrelated when influencing use of and access to maternal and reproductive health care. Appropriate attention should be given to how these social determinants interplay in generating and sustaining inequity when designing policies and programs to reach equitable progress toward improved maternal and reproductive health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research tried to find out difference in the feeling of alienation among the male and female older people. The data was collected from older people (N = 255) residing in the Urban areas of Bhopal, India. The study tried to analyse the significance difference in the feeling of alienation in male and female elderly. It was observed that females (60.33 ± 9.51) experiences more alienation than males (57.61 ± 8.85). Leven's test for equality of variance which shows [F(1,253)=.734, Sig. =.392] and t = 2.357, p=.01, (p<.05). The lower educational status of the older females makes it difficult for them to move easily along with the changing world. Also when compared to the older males, the lower degree of social contacts and activities of the older females may increase the isolation. At a time when help, care, support and presence of children, family members, friends and neighbours are most desired, the greater feelings of alienation are quite natural. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]