In a world where hunger remains an enduring crisis, it is impossible to ignore the profound impact of gender inequality, which leaves women and girls particularly vulnerable to the ravages of food insecurity.
Hunger and food insecurity are pervasive issues that affect millions of women across the United States and Canada. In both the US and Canada, women are more likely to experience poverty than men, with rates of 12.9% (compared to 10% of men) and 12% (compared to 8.2% of men) respectively. These staggering statistics are a poignant reminder of the challenges that persist in ensuring that everyone has access to affordable and nutritious food.
How Many Women Are Food Insecure?
Addressing food waste and hunger requires more than just the typical proposed solutions - reforming food production, regulating distribution, and increasing governmental benefits. Gender inequality is a significant barrier to achieving sustainable and equitable food systems worldwide. According to the World Food Program, “Of the 349 million people who are severely hungry in the world right now, 60% are women and girls.”
Single mothers are especially vulnerable to poverty and food insecurity, with nearly 30% of households headed by single mothers experiencing food insecurity in the US, compared to just 11% of households headed by single fathers.
Women of color are also particularly susceptible to food insecurity. In the US, 21.2% of Black households and 17.3% of Hispanic households experience food insecurity, compared to 7.9% of White households. In Canada, Indigenous households are almost three times more likely to experience food insecurity than non-Indigenous households. This is partly due to systemic discrimination that limits access to education, employment, and other resources necessary to achieve economic security.
How Can Gender Equity Reduce Food Insecurity?
Empowering women and girls is crucial to addressing hunger and food waste. When women are given access to education, resources, and decision-making power, they are better able to provide for themselves and their families.
Most women who are employed in the least-developed countries work in the agricultural sector. Nevertheless, female farmers face significant gender-based obstacles, including limited access to land, financing, markets, agricultural training, and education, which puts them at a disadvantage. Among these challenges, the most significant hurdle is the lack of land ownership for women, with only 10 to 20 percent of landholders being female in developing countries.
Even in developed countries like the US, gender bias in agriculture still exists, which makes it difficult for women to succeed in farming. Female farmers generally have lower crop yields and earnings compared to their male counterparts, while farms managed by women producing 20 to 30 percent less than those run by men.
Research has shown that when women have access to agricultural resources and training, they are more likely to adopt sustainable farming practices than men, which can increase crop yields and improve food security. According to the United Nations FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), if women had the same access as men to productive resources in agriculture, the yields on their farms could increase by 20-30%. This would lead to a 2.4-4% increase in overall agricultural output in developing countries and could decrease the number of hungry people in the world by 12-17%.
What Can YOU Do?
Organizing a fundraiser or food drive is a fantastic way to contribute to the fight against hunger, ensuring that food banks and food-insecure communities have an adequate supply of meals.
Additionally, we must strengthen our federal nutrition programs, such as the National School Lunch Program and SNAP, to protect low-income individuals and families from hunger and poverty. We must all advocate for and support these crucial programs.
You can also donate to Move For Hunger to help hungry families in need. A donation as small as $25 feeds 63 people. If you’d like to contribute to the solution, donate today!
