Feeding her children, but risking her health: The intersection of gender, household food insecurity and obesity

Abstract

This paper investigates one explanation for the consistent observation of a strong, negative correlation in the United States between income and obesity among women, but not men. We argue that a key factor is the gendered expectation that mothers are responsible for feeding their children. When income is limited and households face food shortages, we predict that an enactment of these gendered norms places mothers at greater risk for obesity relative to child-free women and all men. We adopt an indirect approach to study these complex dynamics using data on men and women of child-rearing age and who are household heads or partners in the 1999–2003 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). We find support for our prediction: Food insecure mothers are more likely than child-free men and women and food insecure fathers to be overweight or obese and to gain more weight over four years. The risks are greater for single mothers relative to mothers in married or cohabiting relationships. Supplemental models demonstrate that this pattern cannot be attributed to post-pregnancy biological changes that predispose mothers to weight gain or an evolutionary bias toward biological children. Further, results are unchanged with the inclusion of physical activity, smoking, drinking, receipt of food stamps, or Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutritional program participation. Obesity, thus, offers a physical expression of the vulnerabilities that arise from the intersection of gendered childcare expectations and poverty.

Food insecurity and nutritional status of individuals in a socially vulnerable situation in Brazil

“…Women with children present higher overweight and obesity rates in FI situations, in comparison with women without children and with men 30 . Although the present study did not identify the presence and number of children, the Brazilian Demographic Census carried out in 2010 indicated that low-income women have a greater number of children than those in higher income groups 33 .…”

“…Among women in developing countries, several studies have indicated a relationship between moderate levels of FI and overweight 10,30 . In Brazil, according to the National Demographics and Health Survey of 2006 31,32 , within the research group of Demographic Health Surveys (DHSs), there were associations between moderate FI and obesity among women 14 and between severe FI and obesity among female adolescents 31 .…”

Prevalence and covariates of food insecurity among residents of single-room occupancy housing in Chicago, IL, USA

“…Although we could not locate any studies linking depth of poverty and gender with food insecurity in marginally housed populations specifically, this dynamic is consistent with trends noted in the general population (46) . Studies conducted among North American families have shown that food insecurity tends to be higher among women, who may make sacrifices to try to buffer children and other family members from experiencing food insecurity (47)(48)(49) . It is difficult to know if this explanation applies to our finding, as SRO buildings house single adults and generally do not allow children to live on the premises.…”

Lifestyle as a choice of necessity: Young women, health and obesity

“…Research concerning obesity as it relates to women on low income is particularly important given the inverse correlation between income level and obesity in women (PHAC, 2011;Martin and Lippert, 2012) -and the tendency to place blame on women for this situation instead of working towards a more nuanced understanding of the factors that might contribute to this trend. Very little sociocultural research has applied qualitative methodologies to focus on contextual factors influencing the uptake of health practices related to body weight for underprivileged women.…”