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Gender and nutrition KEY FACTS
Women are in a unique position to reduce malnutrition, • Malnutrition is the single largest
one of the largest threats to public health in the world. contributor to disease in the
world.
• ulnerable women are at greater
NourishiNg the world risk of malnutrition than men
Chronic hunger and malnutrition typically go hand in hand, but there and more girls die of malnutrition
is no guarantee that an abundance of food will automatically stamp out than boys.
malnutrition. Malnutrition is found in both developed and developing countries, • lmost five million children
even in households where people have enough to eat. Brought on, in part, by under the age of five die of
an improper selection of foods, malnutrition is one of the greatest threats to malnutritionrelated causes every
public health in the world. It takes an uneven toll on poor women and their year in the developing world.
children, leading directly or indirectly to an estimated 30 percent of all child • ependence on mostly staple
deaths.
foods and lack of crop and
dietary diversity can contribute to
QuaNtity, Quality aNd kNow-how malnutrition.
ood nutrition reuires access to a sufficient uantity and variety of safe, • ocial and economic ineualities
nutritious food, in addition to proper health and adeuate care. But many between men and women
vulnerable families lack the resources or information needed to maintain often stand in the way of good
proper nutrition. farmer may stand in a field brimming with maie, convinced nutrition.
that his family will be well fed after harvest time, while, instead, his children • Many women in developing
waste away from a lack of nutrients found in fruits and vegetables. eal countries cultivate, purchase
food security reuires not only the absence of hunger but also a diet which and prepare much of the food
supports normal growth and a healthy, active life. eaten by their families, but they
often have limited access to
CopiNg meChaNisms information about nutrition.
hen economic shocks, climaterelated challenges or health problems • oor women, especially those in
strike a household, people tend to cope with the resulting loss in income or femaleheaded households, tend
purchasing power by changing the uantity, uality and diversity of the food to have less access than men to
they consume. Clinics in poor, rural communities will freuently find that income, credit and other financial
the mother of a malnourished child is able to produce a sufficient variety of services and other resources
vegetables and fruits at home, but will sell most of what she grows to earn needed to improve food security.
cash for medicine, school fees and other foods. • omen reuire two and a half
percent more dietary iron than
womeN, meN aNd NutritioN men, and women need more
More often than not, the face of malnutrition is female. In households protein than usual when pregnant
which are vulnerable to food insecurity, women are at greater risk of and lactating.
malnutrition than men. Malnutrition in mothers, especially those who are • In many societies, men and boys
pregnant or breastfeeding, can set up a cycle of deprivation that increases the are given priority when meals
likelihood of low birth weight, child mortality, serious disease, poor classroom are served.
his can contribute
performance and low work productivity. to undernutrition in women and
girls.
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ender, uity and ural mployment ivision
conomic and ocial evelopment epartment
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ood and griculture rganiation
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BooSTing nuTriTion
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Around ThE world www.fao.org
• In fghanistan, half the women t specific stages in the lifecycle, women reuire more dietary iron than
of childbearing age suffer from men, and when pregnant or breastfeeding, they should consume more
iron deficiency and 0 of the protein. till, they typically eat a lower uantity and variety of nutritious foods
children under five suffer from than their male counterparts. In rural, developing communities, a woman’s
chronic malnutrition. trained nutritional needs are compounded by the multiple responsibilities which she
local literacy facilitators to inform has in the field and at home as a worker, mother and caretaker.
women’s circles about topics like
health, sanitation, nutrition, backyard
and farm management techniues, why geNder matters
business development and running espite their vulnerability to malnutrition, women are in a uniue position
smallscale enterprises. to improve nutrition in their households.
hey are responsible for growing,
• In Malawi, a high incidence of purchasing, processing and preparing most of the food which is consumed.
I and I interferes with food et vulnerable women, especially those in femaleheaded households,
production and income. Mothers freuently have limited access to nutrition information and the resources they
and other adult caretakers of need to improve food security, such as income, land, euipment, financial
malnourished children improved their services and training.
family diets by establishing small ender matters because initiatives to improve nutrition cannot achieve
vegetable gardens at home. lasting success without taking into consideration the social, economic and
provided seeds, tools and handson biological differences between men and women and, in particular, the gender
training in sustainable gardening, ineualities which stand in the way of good nutrition. has found that
processing and preservation of proects which promote gender euality and the empowerment of women
foods for yearround use and significantly improve nutrition and wellbeing for the entire household.
nutritious food preparation.
• In ietnam, a proect to improve Fao strategies to improve NutritioN
nutrition and reduce vitamin • Collection of information on gender differences in food security, food
deficiency placed a special focus production and consumption, and knowledge of nutritious local plants and
on pregnant women and mothers of ecosystems.
children under five years.
he proect •
he use of miedvegetable gardens at home, school and in the community
led to an increase in mothers’ to provide vulnerable households with varied food sources and nutrition
knowledge about nutrition and training.
greater use of vegetables in weaning • howing women and men how to improve dietary diversity and crop
children.
marketability through food processing, storage and cooking.
• Increasing women’s access to land, financial services and alternativeincome
opportunities.
• orking with policy makers at the national and regional levels to include
gender issues in their social and economic strategies.
For more information:
http://www.fao.org/gender
©.Biarri http://www.fao.org/ag/agn
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