Family, Gender, and Women's Nutritional Status: A Comparison Between Two Himalayan Communities in Nepal

Abstract

During the last decades, the focus of food and nutrition security research has shifted from issues of macro-level availability to problems of unequal access, and distribution within the household. Little systematic attention has however been paid to the role of family systems in household food allocation processes. This study focuses on the extent to which family relations, and particularly gender roles, in two Himalayan communities with different family systems influence intra-household food allocation, and the subsequent nutritional status of women of reproductive age (15-49). In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 Buddhist and 15 Hindu women, the latter belonging either to the higher Chhetri or lower Dalit castes. Additionally, anthropometric data of women were collected. Results show that women from Hindu families were worse off than women from Buddhist households in terms of nutritional status, which is due to different intra-household allocation patterns. Secondly, women's nutritional status varied over the reproductive life course. Women were most vulnerable during menses, pregnancy, and the post-partum period. Comparison with research conducted in the 1980s in this area suggests that the influence of family-level values and practices on women's nutritional status is slowly changing.

Determinants of intra-household food allocation between adults in South Asia – a systematic review

“…Before childbearing, young married women had low status and were subtly discouraged from eating special foods like animal products and certain fried foods. Men’s higher status was “recognised in many ways, including household food behaviour”Allocation of ‘special’ foods Madjdian and Bras [40]2016In-depth interviews30 individualsTwo Himalayan communities from Humla district.Female respondents (15 Buddhist; 15 Hindu Dalit or Chhetri) of reproductive age (aged 15 to 49 years). Selected respondents who were pregnant or had been pregnant at least once before.Inductive coding based on a conceptual framework, using bottom-up and top-down coding to allow new themes to emerge.• Beliefs about ‘fair share’ / Religion - Buddhist households allocated food according to appetite; this was not reported in Hindu households.• Cultural beliefs and food habits - Certain foods believed to cause skin allergies.…”

“…An Indian study concluded that beliefs about fairness affected food allocation because the respondents were reluctant to discuss disparities in food allocation [51]. Abdullah [36] also indicated this, by reporting a respondent’s description of a mother-in-law as a “bad woman” (p112) if she did not give her daughter-in-law special foods that others received, and Madjdian and Bras reported that Buddhist households allocated food according to appetite [40]. Pitt et al reported that the tendency for households to equalise food allocation, rather than allocate food in an income-maximising way, was a reflection of households’ aversions to inequity [32].…”

Socio‐cultural and economic determinants and consequences of adolescent undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in LLMICs: a systematic narrative review

“…This is supported by a review of intrahousehold food allocation that shows that inequities are more likely in food insecure or poor households, although this also depends on other factors such as religion, household size, social status, and women's bargaining power . For instance, a study in the far west corner of Nepal showed that adolescent girls ended up second last, or last in case of daughters‐in‐law, in the household serving order, which could have influenced their nutritional status, especially in food insecure households . Unequal treatment may thus result when households face extreme circumstances, leading to discrimination against vulnerable women .…”

“…142 For instance, a study in the far west corner of Nepal showed that adolescent girls ended up second last, or last in case of daughters-in-law, in the household serving order, which could have influenced their nutritional status, especially in food insecure households. 143 Unequal treatment may thus result when households face extreme circumstances, leading to discrimination against vulnerable women. 144 Regarding micronutrient deficiencies, the opposite effect was found.…”

Factors Associated With Undernutrition Among 20 to 49 Year Old Women in Uganda: A Secondary Analysis of the Uganda Demographic Health Survey 2016

“…Nutrition is a fundamental pillar of human life, health, and development (1). Globally, 10% of women aged 20 to 49 suffer from underweight (2). The greatest burden of maternal undernutrition is seen in low income countries (3) where an estimated 450 million adult women are stunted (4).…”