Gender inequality linked to food insecurity among women
As gender inequality goes up, food security goes down.
The more gender inequality there is in a country, the hungrier and more malnourished its people are, humanitarian organisation CARE has found in a recent data analysis.
An analysis by a humanitarian organisation has highlighted a link between gender inequality and food insecurity across the globe.
Analysing data from 2021, the report by CARE shows that across 109 countries, as gender inequality goes up, food security goes down.
"Between 2018 and 2021, the number of hungry women versus hungry men grew 8.4 times, with a staggering 150 million more women than men hungry in 2021," Christine Campeau, CARE’s global advocacy director for food systems, said.
According to her, the implications of the Ukraine conflict's escalation will worsen the situation for women, who play a crucial role across food systems and in feeding their families and communities.
"Gender equality is highly connected to food and nutrition security at a local, national, and global level. To put it simply, the more gender inequality there is in a country, the hungrier and more malnourished its people are."
It was pointed out that even when both men and women are technically food insecure, women often bear bigger burdens.
Make visible
In the World Bank Gender Data Portal on food and women, the only sex disaggregated food data is related to the number of women who believe, or do not believe, that a husband is justified in beating his wife when she burns the food.
Campeau said "as women keep feeding the world, we must give them the right space in our data collection methods and analysis to make the gaps they encounter visible and work with women themselves to find solutions to those gaps. Global datasets should be publishing sex-disaggregated data on food—whether the focus is on gender or on food. It is time to update our global understanding of food security and gender inequality, and local actors, including women’s organisations in crisis-affected communities, need to get the flexible funding and support desperately needed to protect women and girls from hunger-associated gender-based-violence and protection risks."
A recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation indicated that 1.4 million people—more than 56% of the Namibian population— cannot afford a healthy diet, which costs about N$55 per person per day.
Analysing data from 2021, the report by CARE shows that across 109 countries, as gender inequality goes up, food security goes down.
"Between 2018 and 2021, the number of hungry women versus hungry men grew 8.4 times, with a staggering 150 million more women than men hungry in 2021," Christine Campeau, CARE’s global advocacy director for food systems, said.
According to her, the implications of the Ukraine conflict's escalation will worsen the situation for women, who play a crucial role across food systems and in feeding their families and communities.
"Gender equality is highly connected to food and nutrition security at a local, national, and global level. To put it simply, the more gender inequality there is in a country, the hungrier and more malnourished its people are."
It was pointed out that even when both men and women are technically food insecure, women often bear bigger burdens.
Make visible
In the World Bank Gender Data Portal on food and women, the only sex disaggregated food data is related to the number of women who believe, or do not believe, that a husband is justified in beating his wife when she burns the food.
Campeau said "as women keep feeding the world, we must give them the right space in our data collection methods and analysis to make the gaps they encounter visible and work with women themselves to find solutions to those gaps. Global datasets should be publishing sex-disaggregated data on food—whether the focus is on gender or on food. It is time to update our global understanding of food security and gender inequality, and local actors, including women’s organisations in crisis-affected communities, need to get the flexible funding and support desperately needed to protect women and girls from hunger-associated gender-based-violence and protection risks."
A recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation indicated that 1.4 million people—more than 56% of the Namibian population— cannot afford a healthy diet, which costs about N$55 per person per day.
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