Women’s reproductive health and factory productivity may seem unrelated, but a new Business for Social Responsibility initiative links the two – in mutually beneficial ways. Launched in 2007 to address women’s health in the global supply chain, BSR's HERproject (or “Health Enables Returns”) recently ran a focus group of female factory workers [1] in Pakistan. Many women confessed they were missing work on a regular basis each month.

Unsurprisingly, their absence coincided with their menstrual periods, a problem that could be solved by providing access to sanitary napkins as well as basic information on proper hygiene during menstruation. Such a solution would not only improve the women’s health, but also might decrease their absenteeism and negative impact on factory productivity. A study of a Bangladeshi factory by Washington, D.C.-based Extending Service Delivery [2] found that every dollar invested in women’s health resulted in a three-dollar return through higher productivity, lower turnover, and reduced absenteeism.

Women's reproductive health issues such as sexually transmitted disease and family planning are also the focus of My Community radio programs in Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Sponsored by PCI-Media Impact, My Community broadcasts use local radio to promote social change in health, human rights, and the environment in Latin America [3]. For example, the Winning Women/Cool Youth (Mujeres Vencedoras /Jovenes en Onda) program in Bolivia combines talk-show and call-in formats to address sexual and reproductive health. The show, sponsored by two Bolivian community organizations, also features a scripted serial drama entitled With a Woman's Name, We Have the Right to Decide (Con Nombre de Mujer, Tenemos Derecho a Decidir.)

This article was written by CSRwire contributor Bill Baue