Women’s Empowerment for Household Food Security: The Place of Education

Effect of seasons on household food insecurity in Bangladesh

“…In concordance with our study, consensus among many literatures established household size (Babatunde et al, 2008;Endale et al, 2014;Feleke, Kilmer, & Gladwin, 2005), education status of the household head (Arene & Anyaeji, 2010;Babatunde, Omotesho, & Sholotan, 2007;Babatunde et al, 2008;Benson, 2007;Endale et al, 2014) and the household women (Chinnakali et al, 2014;Olumakaiye & Ajayi, 2006;Quisumbing et al, 1995;Ramachandran, 2007;Regassa & Stoecker, 2012), index of household assets or wealth (Faridi & Naimul Wadood, 2010;Feleke et al, 2005;Regassa & Stoecker, 2012), and household income (Chinnakali et al, 2014;Endale et al, 2014;Thorne-Lyman et al, 2010) as significant predictors of household food insecurity. However, in contrary to findings of the positive impact of women's income on calorie intake or food security status of the households (Garcia, 1991;Laraia, Siega-Riz, Gundersen, & Dole, 2006;Ramachandran, 2007), our result shows that income-generating activity of the resident women is not independently associated with household food insecurity.…”

Women's status and global food security: An overview

“…Women's formal education allows them a greater opportunity to generate cash income and participate in the labor force. Additionally, educated women are also more likely to seek and access better agricultural techniques (Olumakaiye & Ajayi, ).…”

“…Scholars also frequently show that women's formal education is positively associated with increased agricultural productivity and boosts in farm yields (Quisumbing, ; Saito, Mekonnen, & Spurling, ). Moreover, several studies show that maternal educational levels are associated with an increase in the variety of household food consumption (Olumakaiye & Ajayi, ), and subsequently, an improvement in the nutritional status of women, their children, and their families as a whole (Ghosh & Bharati, ; Guha‐Khasnobis & Hazarika, ; Nakabo‐Ssewanyana, ).…”

“…While these case studies show the theoretical linkages and non‐generalizable associations between women's formal education and food security, once again, the bulk of the literature suffers from a lack of insights on whether the findings are isolated, or they are indicative of patterns across countries and over time. For example, existing research tells us that maternal education is important for dietary variety in Nigeria (Olumakaiye & Ajayi, ), but it does not tell us if the process of educating women in general—net of all other aspects of Nigerian society that could be causing this association—improves dietary variety in general. Cross‐national studies would complement existing studies by adding this crucial element of generalizability that would establish a more solid relationship between women's formal education and global food security, both of which are considered essential aspects of global development.…”

Women's Role in Household Food Security in the Rural-Urban Contexts of Sri Lanka

“…Similarly, Kennedy and Peter (1992) found that the proportion of income controlled by women has a positive influence on household caloric intake in Kenya and Malawi. Further, many studies show that women's education make a positive impact on agricultural productivity, dietary quality, and children's nutritional status (Quisumbing, 1996, Levin et al 1999Varium et al, 1999, Olumokaiye andAjayi, 2006;Garret and Ruel, 1999;Gunesekara, 1999;Ekanayake et al, 2003). However, a controversy arises with the women's role, especially with women's employments, as several studies revealed that the dietary quality of a household is badly affected by women's employments (Varium et al, 1999;Rao, 2005;Levin et al 1999;Haddad and Hoddinot, 1991).…”