Frequency and Psychosocial Determinants of Gender Discrimination Regarding Food Distribution among Families: Gender discrimination regarding food distribution among families

Sami Ullah  Mumtaz; Somia  Iqtadar; Muhammad Kalim  Akther; Zafar  Niaz; Tayyeba  Komal; Sajid  AbaidUllah

doi:10.52229/pbmj.v2i1.30

Authors

Sami Ullah Mumtaz North Medical Ward, King Edward Medical University/ Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan
Somia Iqtadar North Medical Ward, King Edward Medical University/ Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan
Muhammad Kalim Akther Department of Pediatric Medicine, King Edward Medical University/ Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan
Zafar Niaz North Medical Ward, King Edward Medical University/ Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan
Tayyeba Komal Department of Pathology, Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
Sajid AbaidUllah North Medical Ward, King Edward Medical University/ Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52229/pbmj.v2i1.30

Abstract

Due to male dominance in society as well as in households, the rights of females are ignored. Hence, there exists gender discrimination while giving food to family members which in turn results in poor health status for females. Therefore, it is important to explore the causes of this unequal distribution of food among family members Objective: To determine psychosocial factors causing gender discrimination regarding food distribution among families Methods: Data collected from fifty females aged 15-80 years, selected from the urban community using non-probability consecutive sampling, were used for analysis. Females with malnutrition, psychological disorders, with laparotomy and major surgery were excluded. Gender discrimination was assessed as males or male children were preferred for better and more food items like fresh food, meat, fruits, milk, dairy products and multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to see the impact selected factors on gender discrimination Results: The large family size (> 6 members) showed significantly higher odds of discrimination (OR=3.89; 95% CI= 1.03-15.26) than smaller families. The odds of food discrimination were 4 times more for the families, with males being earning hand (OR=4.57; 95% CI= 1.19-18.31). Similarly, there exist higher odds of gender discrimination in low-income families (OR=5.10; 95% CI= 1.18-23.87). While maternal education reduces the chances of food discrimination (OR=0.10; 95% CI= 0.02-0.42) Conclusions: Psychosocial factors such as large family size, low monthly income, males being earning hand and maternal education were found to be associated with gender discrimination regarding food distribution among family members.

References

Ahmed, A. (2018). Pakistan among worst performers on gender equality: WEF, 2019, from https://www.dawn.com/news/1452284

Alam, S. (2012). The effect of gender-based returns to borrowing on intra-household resource allocation in rural Bangladesh. World Development, 40(6), 1164-1180.

Alesina, A., Giuliano, P., & Nunn, N. (2013). On the origins of gender roles: Women and the plough. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 128(2), 469-530.

Berti, P. R. (2012). Intrahousehold distribution of food: a review of the literature and discussion of the implications for food fortification programs. Food and nutrition bulletin, 33(3_suppl2), S163-S169.

Borelli, J. L., Nelson, S. K., River, L. M., Birken, S. A., & Moss-Racusin, C. (2017). Gender differences in work-family guilt in parents of young children. Sex Roles, 76(5-6), 356-368.

Cantor, S. M., & Associates. (1973). Tamil Nadu Nutrition Study. Pennsylvania, USA: Haverford.

Cerrato, J., & Cifre, E. (2018). Gender Inequality in Household Chores and Work-Family Conflict. [Original Research]. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(1330). doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01330

DeRose, L. F., Das, M., & Millman, S. R. (2000). Does female disadvantage mean lower access to food? Population and Development Review, 26(3), 517-547.

Dowd, W. N., Bray, J. W., Barbosa, C., Brockwood, K., Kaiser, D. J., Mills, M. J., . . . Wipfli, B. (2017). Cost and Return on Investment of a Work-Family Intervention in the Extended Care Industry: Evidence From the Work, Family, and Health Network. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 59(10), 956-965.

Fernández, J., Quiroga, M. Á., Escorial, S., & Privado, J. (2016). The gendered division of housework. Psicothema, 28(2), 130-136.

French, K. A., Dumani, S., Allen, T. D., & Shockley, K. M. (2018). A meta-analysis of work–family conflict and social support. Psychological bulletin, 144(3), 284.

Gittelsohn, J. (1991). Opening the box: intrahousehold food allocation in rural Nepal. Social science & medicine, 33(10), 1141-1154.

Haddad, L., Peña, C., Nishida, C., Quisumbing, A., & Slack, A. (1996). FCND discussion paper No 19. Food security and nutrition implications of intrahousehold bias: a review of literature.

Harris-Fry, H., Shrestha, N., Costello, A., & Saville, N. M. (2017). Determinants of intra-household food allocation between adults in South Asia – a systematic review. International Journal for Equity in Health, 16(1), 107. doi: 10.1186/s12939-017-0603-1

Huffman, A. H., Matthews, R. A., & Irving, L. H. (2017). Family fairness and cohesion in marital dyads: Mediating processes between work–family conflict and couple psychological distress. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 90(1), 95-116.

Madjdian, D. S., & Bras, H. A. J. (2016). Family, Gender, and Women's Nutritional Status: A Comparison Between Two Himalayan Communities in Nepal. Economic History of Developing Regions, 31(1), 198-223. doi: 10.1080/20780389.2015.1114416

OECD. (2014). Balancing paid work, unpaid work and leisure. OECD Gender Equality.

Pitt, M. M., Rosenzweig, M. R., & Hassan, M. N. (1990). Productivity, health, and inequality in the intrahousehold distribution of food in low-income countries. The American Economic Review, 1139-1156.

Rathnayake, I., & Weerahewa, J. (2002). An assessment of intra-household allocation of food: a case study of the urban poor in Kandy. Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Economics, 4(1381-2016-115737), 95-105.

Sudo, N., Sekiyama, M., Maharjan, M., & Ohtsuka, R. (2006). Gender differences in dietary intake among adults of Hindu communities in lowland Nepal: assessment of portion sizes and food consumption frequencies. European journal of clinical nutrition, 60(4), 469.

Wharton, A. S. (2015). 2014 PSA Presidential Address (Un) Changing Institutions: Work, Family, and Gender in the New Economy. Sociological Perspectives, 58(1), 7-19.

Wheeler, E. F. (1991). Intra-household food and nutrient allocation. Nutrition research reviews, 4(1), 69-81.