THEGENDERGAPINFOODSECURITY

BY:MEGHANNAGIA

Foodinsecurityisreal Itisalsosexist Foodisabasichumanright However,genderinequalityplaysa prominentroleinpushingmorewomenintohungerthanmen Thenumberofwomensufferingfromhunger inanycountryisdirectlyproportionaltothenation’sgendergap Althoughhungerhasbeenanongoingglobal issue,in2021,59%ofthe828millionpeoplesufferingfromhungerwerewomen Since2021,150millionmore womenarefoodinsecurethanmenwiththegapcontinuouslywidening(Gilchrist).

Foodinsecurityisasocial,biological,nutritional,andeconomicphenomenon.Itcanbedefinedasthe uncertaintyofhavingortheinabilitytoacquireadequatefoodintakeforallhouseholdmembers(PublicHealth Nutrition).Womeninmanypartsoftheworldarelesslikelytohavethesameopportunitiesandresourcesas men;thisinequityisalsovisibleintheirlackofaccesstosufficientandnutritiousfoodtomeettheirfood preferencesanddietaryneeds,requiredforahealthylifestyle

AccordingtotheWorldFoodProgram(USA),innearlytwothirdsoftheworld’scountries,womenaremore likelytobehungrythanmen Womenalsosufferthemostfrommalnutritionandmacro-/micro-nutrient deficiencies Myriadfactors,aspresentedbelow,contributetothisgenderedhungergap:

Sexist norms, beliefs, and traditions

In some patriarchal cultures discriminatory social and cultural norms prevail even today. Sadly, some traditional societies treat women to be of an inferior status than men and expect them to sacrifice their food for their families. Women eat last, after the men or children in the household have been fed or they skip meals altogether

Lack of economic independence

In many parts of the world women are still dependent on their male counterparts for financial needs. They are not encouraged to be in the workforce or seek financial autonomy. Financial inequality is also visible among women working in agricultural farms under strenuous conditions who are not allowed to be landowners or paid the same wages as men. Furthermore, “there are 18 countries (e.g., Iran, Bahrain and Qatar) where husbands can legally prevent their wives from getting a job” (wfpusa). In several countries, females receive less, or no education compared to their male counterparts which decreases their chances to be gainfully employed and impacts their decision-making power. Whether toiling at home or on the farm, being “unpaid or underpaid” is normalized; this increases women’s likelihood of living in poverty more than men despite enduring hard work and physical labor.

Discriminatory laws and unequal rights

In many countries, women have fewer rights and power than men. For example, when men own land, women’s access to livestock, agriculture, and water rights decreases, resulting in lower crop yield and income. In several areas, females are subjected to gender-based domestic violence. The UN reports that 7090% of Pakistani women experience some form of physical or psychological abuse from their spouse or intimate partner. Lack of stringent laws or their effective enforcement powers men and boys to perpetuate disrespectful or abusive acts against women including denial of their basic right to a nutritious meal.

Disasters and conflicts

Extreme weather conditions, climate change, and man-made conflicts drive economic distress and famine. Several regions in the world are regularly hit by natural disasters such as droughts while other areas are vulnerable to devastating floods or typhoons. These unexpected catastrophes impair economic conditions and lead to poor water quality and food scarcity. Additionally, in countries ravaged by war, more often women and children are subjected to violence. They are forced to flee and live in overcrowded camps with unsanitary conditions, exposed to malnutrition or diseases such as HIV and AIDS, while having no access to a healthy and wholesome meal. At times they may also face famine which is the most extreme form of food insecurity.

Food insecurity has an adverse impact on the health and wellbeing of women and girls. Malnutrition, obesity, or depression are some of the health consequences suffered by women facing food insecurity. Pregnant women facing food insecurity are at a higher risk of gestational diabetes, iron deficiency, and low birth weight.

The four ‘pillars’ of food and nutrition security are availability, access, utilization, and stability. It is argued that food security for all will be achieved when these pillars are adequately realized. Many in developed nations take access to food for granted, when there are many “food deserts” or repressive regions and communities where women are denied proper nutrition and sufficient food.

With a hyper sense of urgency, the world must unite to eliminate food deserts and push for a shared global vision of gender-just food security where men and women have equal access to healthy and nutritious food. A few immediate interventions that can shrink the inequity in gender-based food insecurity include:

Empowering women through equal right to education will enhance their knowledge and decision making power

Breaking down antiquated social norms and dismantling unjust laws including women’s land ownership

Offering economic independence by creating more jobs for women

Closing the gender wage gap to increase affordability of food and other necessities of life.

Food is an essential ingredient for survival. Not knowing where the next meal will come from can be stressful and daunting. Hunger stifles proper functioning of the body. However, many women are enduring this crisis every day. Let us come together to amplify our voices against gender-driven food insecurity and aspire for a zero-hunger world where neither women nor men are starved for food.

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Botreau,Hélène,andMarcJ.Cohen.“GenderInequalityandFoodInsecurity:ADozenYearsaftertheFoodPriceCrisis,RuralWomenStillBeartheBruntofPovertyandHunger.” AdvancesinFoodSecurityandSustainability,ElsevierInc.,2020,https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7526640/.5-x. FoodSecurityandGender-OECD.https://www.oecd.org/dac/gender-development/46460857.pdf.

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Gilchrist,Karen.“GlobalFoodCrisisSees150MillionMoreWomenthanMenGoingHungry-and'It'sGoingtoGetWorse'.”CNBC,CNBC,30Aug.2022, https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/30/global-food-crisis-sees-150-million-more-women-than-men-going-hungry.html.

Jung,NatáliaMiranda,etal.“GenderDifferencesinthePrevalenceofHouseholdFoodInsecurity:ASystematicReviewandMeta-Analysis:PublicHealthNutrition.”Cambridge Core,CambridgeUniversityPress,10Nov.2016,https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/gender-differences-in-the-prevalence-of-householdfood-insecurity-a-systematic-review-and-metaanalysis/B3B0DE2E04C0413E48267E63B400EC36.

“WomenAreHungrier.”WorldFoodProgramUSA,https://www.wfpusa.org/women-are-hungrier-infographic/.