Nutritional Gender Inequality: Nature and Impacts

Nutritional gender inequality describes the disparities in access to and consumption of adequate and nutritious food between genders, disproportionately affecting women and girls due to biological needs, unequal resource distribution, and harmful social norms.

Table of Contents

Context: India’s free foodgrain for 800 million highlights persistent malnutrition, with women and girls remaining the most neglected victims.

Nature of Nutritional Gender Inequality

Disproportionate Malnutrition Rates: NFHS-5 data shows 57% of women (15–49 years) are anaemic, compared to 26% of men.
Underweight Prevalence: Around 7% of women are underweight, with a significant disparity compared to men.
Intra-household Food Disparity: Cultural norms often lead to women and girls eating least and last in the family.
Resource Utilization Gap: Despite large investments (₹24,000 crore for POSHAN 2.0 in 2022–23), only 69% of funds were used, with minimal improvement in women’s nutrition.
Lack of Agency: Nearly 49% of women lack control over their earnings, affecting their ability to prioritize health and nutrition.

Impacts of Nutritional Gender Inequality

Maternal and Child Health: Malnourished mothers lead to low birth weight, stunted growth, and infant mortality.
Reduced Productivity: Poor nutrition affects women’s work capacity and economic participation.
Intergenerational Cycle of Malnutrition: Undernourished girls become malnourished mothers, perpetuating the cycle.
Health System Burden: Anaemia and malnutrition contribute to increased disease burden and healthcare costs.
Gender Inequality Reinforcement: Poor nutrition reflects and reinforces women’s lower socio-economic status.

Way Forward: Tackling Nutritional Inequality

Link Nutrition with Empowerment: Set targets for women’s income and decision-making power alongside anaemia and stunting reduction.
- Promote skill training, credit access, and job placement through Anganwadi centres.
Improve Programme Delivery: Strengthen inter-departmental convergence (health, nutrition, livelihoods) in malnutrition-prone areas.
- Ensure full utilization of POSHAN 2.0 funds with outcome tracking.
Enhance Quality of Employment: Move beyond participation to ensure secure, fair-paying, and dignified jobs for women.
- Bridge gender wage gaps and support female entrepreneurship.
Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC): Address deep-rooted biases that prioritize men’s food and health over women’s.
- Promote nutrition literacy, especially around women’s specific dietary needs.
Strengthen Grassroots Implementation: Empower Anganwadi workers to become multi-service facilitators – nutrition, health, livelihood.
- Involve community-based women’s groups (e.g. SHGs) in monitoring and delivery.