With food insecurity worsening across the globe, there is an urgent need to address the ever-growing gender nutrition gap. The gender nutrition gap concerns the disparities in access to resources between women and men. Women do not have the same access to food and basic nutrition as men, leading to them being disproportionately affected by food insecurity and malnutrition. This inequality has not only resulted in women being more vulnerable to diseases and other health risks but has also impacted their education and opportunities due to these health risks. 

Factors Contributing to the Gender Nutrition Gap

In sub-Saharan Africa, women make up 40% of the agricultural labor force and yet are still more food insecure than men. Due to social and historical factors, women not only have to work as farmers, but they also have to take on duties within the household, such as childcare and household management. This reduces their productivity in farming compared to men, and in societies that are still heavily patriarchal, women are often left with very little or comparatively worse food than men, and they are thus unable to meet their health and nutrition needs. These patriarchal societies also lead to women having less control over resources and income, further hindering their ability to afford health services. 

Nigeria is Closing the Gender Nutrition Gap

Nigeria is progressing in closing the gender nutrition gap with the World Bank approving $500 million for the Nigeria for Women Program Scale Up (NFWP-SU), which is set to empower women and improve their livelihoods. The NFWP-SU builds on the existing Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP), which supports over 427,887 Women Affinity Group (WAG) members across six states and further benefits 835,573 community members through various developmental interventions. The scale-up will provide even more financial support to the government of Nigeria in helping empower women — by investing in better economic opportunities for women, women will have access to better health and nutrition outcomes, thus helping combat the disparity in food access for women and address their health needs.

With a third of Nigerian households being unable to afford a nutritious diet and putting women and their families at risk of malnutrition, improving economic outcomes for women will help improve their health and resilience. 

Vivianne Ihekweazu, Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch and one of the leaders of the NFWP-SU, has emphasized the importance of meeting the nutritional needs of women and girls to combat the pressing issue of malnutrition. She is working to empower women in Nigeria, and at the Women Deliver conference, she emphasized that Nigeria is focusing on five main areas to address the gender gap: 

1. Supporting the Ministry of Health in optimizing the food supply chain by developing a national guideline.
2. Advocating for more women to take on decision-making positions in the state and communities.
3. Ensuring that women have equal access to and control over resources and production.
4. Addressing how the inequality of women’s education can have adverse impacts on nutrition.
5. Uplifting women’s positions in the workplace and empowering them by securing their workplace rights. 

Empowering Women and Improving Their Livelihoods

While food insecurity and malnutrition remain pressing issues for women in particular, these initiatives will enable Nigeria to take further steps in closing the gender gap, and, as a result, help women secure access to food and health services by providing economic security. With the current success of NFWP, the scale-up will certainly continue to address the issue of the gender nutrition gap, not only empowering women economically but also closing the gender disparity in access to food and nutrition.

– Stephanie Chan
Photo: Flickr