Women and Food Security

Abstract

Women as a social group are vulnerable to food insecurity despite being primary actors in the food chain. The problem is especially rampant in parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The drivers of this vulnerability range from economic to social, cultural, legal and psychological factors. Vulnerability to food insecurity has a definite effect on the health of women and children, as well as social and economic impacts in terms of fewer opportunities for education and greater instances of early marriages. A comparison of indicators used to assess vulnerabilities of women in the two regions shows that the overall situation in South Asia is worse than that in Southeast Asia. There is also a conspicuous difference in terms of the relative weight of the drivers behind this vulnerability. The primary securitising actors at the national, regional and international levels have to play an individual and collective role in rectifying the situation. It is equally mandatory for regional groupings such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to provide a sound systemic environment for individual countries to work towards achieving these objectives.