Is women’s empowerment bearing fruit? Mapping women’s empowerment in agriculture index (WEAI) results using the gender and food systems framework

Emily Myers, Jessica Heckert, Simone Faas, Hazel J. Malapit, Ruth S. Meinzen-Dick, Kalyani Raghunathan and Agnes Quisumbing

No 2190, IFPRI discussion papers from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Abstract: We conduct a synthetic review of the literature examining relationships between domains of women’s empowerment and food system outcomes. Many studies report significant positive associations between women’s empowerment and intrahousehold gender equality with child dietary and nutrition outcomes, household food security, and agricultural production, but which aspect of empowerment matters for a particular outcome varies across contexts. Others document significant but mixed associations between empowerment indicators and women’s dietary diversity scores. The findings suggest women’s empowerment contributes to improved diets and nutritional status, especially for children, but that household wealth, gender norms and country-specific institutions remain important. Most papers reviewed were based on observational studies and therefore estimated associations; future research using experimental and quasi-experimental methods would add significantly to the evidence base.

Keywords: gender norms; nutritional status; gender; gender equality; women's empowerment; agricultural production; child nutrition; households; household income; institutions; nutrition; food security; diet; food systems; women; dietary diversity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fpr:ifprid:2190

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