Sex differentials in undernutrition: a look at survey evidence

摘要

A greater susceptibility of females to undernutrition--hampering their reproductive, economic, educational, and social roles--is regularly evoked in food policy discussions, with a view to redressing inequities. But what is the actual extent of thisphenomenon and where exactly do these inequities occur? Advocacy materials and other publications from nongovernmental organizations as well as from some intergovernmental bodies often convey the notion that an anti-female bias in intrahousehold food allocation, affecting both children and adults, exists throughout the developing world, causing excess female undernutrition. These practices are even said to be increasing: a process sometimes referred to as the "feminization of hunger." On the other hand,while no one doubts that adult women suffer more from hunger than do men in a number of countries, nutritionists appear skeptical regarding food intake and nutrition biases among preschool children. What, then, are the facts?