Towards Gender Transformative Food Security

Women and girls in India face higher rates of malnutrition, lower empowerment status and decision-making power than men and boys. Now, a new study conducted in Rajasthan, India, suggests that gender dynamics, particularly intra-household dynamics such as decision-making power of women, their autonomy, and their communication and relationship with their spouse are statistically significantly associated with self-reported food security status of the woman and her children. For example, 39 percent of women classified as having high autonomy were food secure, vs. only 12 percent of women with low autonomy.