Gender equity considerations in food environments of low and middle income countries: A scoping review

Twyman, Jennifer; Talsma, Elise F.; Togka, Konstantina; Ferraboschi, Chiara; Brouwer, Inge D.

doi:10.2499/p15738coll2.134225

Cited by 5 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 73 publications

(168 reference statements)

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“…In fact, in low-income countries, studies suggest that agricultural policy and practice have led to limited changes in nutrition. Some of the contributing factors to the limited impact include lack of adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities and lack of women's empowerment [20].…”

Section: Food Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Informal systems include social systems that influence the functioning of the food system. Gender is an informal system that defines men and women's participation in the food system [20]. In this section, we unpack some of the gender literature associated with each of the food systems components of the Glopan framework.…”

Section: Gender and The Food Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Women's low productivity is compounded by their limited decision-making and control over agricultural inputs and outputs [20]. Addressing issues of access and control simultaneously is critical to the unlocking of women's agricultural production potential.…”

Section: Agricultural Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Multiple studies indicate that African women invest more of their income on household food, nutrition and well-being than men [20,29,30]. Women, however, often earn less than men, limiting their consumer purchasing power.…”

Section: Consumer Purchasing Powermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although both men and women are active in agriculture, women face limited market opportunities compared to their male counterparts. These opportunities are constrained by time (as discussed above), access to transportation and cultural restrictions that limit women's mobility or entry into certain spaces [20]. Both men and women's access to markets has a positive impact on household nutrition.…”

Section: Market and Trade Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Enhancing the Glopan Food Systems Framework by Integrating Gender: Relevance for Women in African Agriculture

et al. 2021

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Globally, gender inequalities constrain food security, with women often disproportionately affected. Women play a fundamental role in household food and nutrition security. The multiple roles women play in various areas of the food system are not always recognised. This oversight emerges from an overemphasis on one aspect of the food system, without considering how this area might affect or be affected by another aspect. This study aimed to draw on international commitments and treaties using content analysis to enhance the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Security food systems framework by integrating a gender perspective. The study found that generally, there is a consensus on specific actions that can be taken to advance gender equality at specific stages of the food system. However, governance and social systems constraints that are not necessarily part of the food system, but have a significant bearing on men and women’s capacity to effectively participate in the food system, need to be addressed. While the proposed conceptual framework has some limitations, it offers a foundation on which researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders can begin conceptualising the interconnectedness of gender barriers in the food system.

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Section: Food Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gender and The Food Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Agricultural Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Consumer Purchasing Powermentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Market and Trade Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Enhancing the Glopan Food Systems Framework by Integrating Gender: Relevance for Women in African Agriculture

et al. 2021

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A qualitative assessment of gender roles in child nutrition in Central Malawi

Mkandawire

Bisai

Dyke³

et al. 2022

BMC Public Health

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Background Child malnutrition persists globally with men and women playing distinct roles to support children’s nutrition. Women frequently carry the bulk of the workload related to food, care, and health, all of which are critical factors in child nutrition. For this reason, development efforts have emphasised women ignoring the potential role of men in supporting children’s nutrition. This study sought to understand the different roles that Malawian men and women play in children’s nutrition. Methods This qualitative was conducted in rural Central Malawi as part of a baseline study in 2017 for the CARE Southern Africa Nutrition Initiative. Seventy-six participants were interviewed, including 19 men and 57 women, using focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. We sought to understand the gender distribution of men’s and women’s roles and how these roles influence child nutrition. Results We found that both men and women were involved in productive, reproductive, and community work. However, consistent with the literature, women carried a disproportionate workload in supporting child nutrition compared to men. Women’s heavier workloads often prevented them from being able to meet children’s food needs. Nevertheless, shifts in gender roles were observed in some of the sampled communities, with men taking up responsibilities that have been typically associated with women. These changes in gender roles, however, did not necessarily increase women’s power within the household. Conclusions Traditional gender roles remain prevalent in the sampled communities. Women continue to be primarily responsible for the food, care, and health of the household. Women’s heavy workloads prevent them from providing optimal care and nutrition for children. While efforts to advance gender equality by encouraging men to participate in child care and other household responsibilities appear to have had marginal success, the extent to which these efforts have successfully encouraged men to share power remains unclear. Improving gender equality and child nutrition will require efforts to redistribute gendered work and encourage men to move towards shared power with women over household decision-making and control over income.

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Food access, domestic environments, and dietary quality of low-middle income Chilean children during the COVID-19 pandemic

Pemjean

Stoltze

Ferrer-Rosende

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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IntroductionFood access is associated with dietary quality; however, people living in similar physical environments can have different food access profiles. Domestic environments may also influence how food access relates to dietary quality. We studied food access profiles of 999 low-middle income Chilean families with children during the COVID-19 lockdown and how these profiles relate to dietary quality; secondarily, we also explore the role of the domestic environment in this relationship.Materials and methodsParticipants of two longitudinal studies conducted in the southeast of Santiago, Chile, answered online surveys at the beginning and end of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Food access profiles were developed by a latent class analysis considering food outlets and government food transfers. Children's dietary quality was estimated by self-reported compliance with the Chilean Dietary Guidelines of Americans (DGA) and daily ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption. Logistic and linear regressions were used to assess the association between food access profiles and dietary quality. Domestic environment data (i.e., the sex of the person who buys food and cooks, meal frequency, cooking skills, etc.) were incorporated in the models to assess their influence on the relationship between food access and dietary quality.ResultsWe have categorized three food access profiles: Classic (70.2%), Multiple (17.9%), and Supermarket-Restaurant (11.9%). Households led by women are concentrated in the Multiple profile, while families from higher income or education levels are focused on the Supermarket-Restaurant profile. On average, children presented poor dietary quality, with a high daily UPF consumption (median = 4.4; IQR: 3) and low compliance with national DGA recommendations (median = 1.2; IQR: 2). Except for the fish recommendation (OR = 1.77, 95% CI:1.00–3.12; p: 0.048 for the Supermarket-Restaurant profile), the food access profiles were poorly associated with children's dietary quality. However, further analyses showed that domestic environment variables related to routine and time use influenced the association between food access profiles and dietary quality.ConclusionIn a sample of low-middle income Chilean families, we identified three different food access profiles that presented a socioeconomic gradient; however, these profiles did not significantly explain children's dietary quality. Studies diving deeper into household dynamics might give us some clues on intra-household behaviors and roles that could be influencing how food access relates to dietary quality.

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Gender equity considerations in food environments of low and middle income countries: A scoping review

Cited by 5 publications

References 73 publications

Enhancing the Glopan Food Systems Framework by Integrating Gender: Relevance for Women in African Agriculture

Enhancing the Glopan Food Systems Framework by Integrating Gender: Relevance for Women in African Agriculture

A qualitative assessment of gender roles in child nutrition in Central Malawi

Food access, domestic environments, and dietary quality of low-middle income Chilean children during the COVID-19 pandemic

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