Women in the Food and Livelihood Security Spectrum

R V Bhavani

Thursday, 29 December 2011 IIMB, Bengaluru

The Prevailing Situation:

South Asia home to chronically more food insecure people than any other region in the world India ranks 67th in the Global Hunger Index 2011 of 81 countries prepared by IFPRI The UN MDG Report 2009 states that Southern Asia has the highest incidence of low birth weight in the world a quarter of newborns weigh less than 2,500 grams as well as the highest prevalence of underweight children As per the latest Report the State of Food Insecurity in the World of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), in 2006-08, 26 percent of the 850 million undernourished people in the world were in India.

Indicators of Women and Child Health in India

As per the National Family health Survey - NFHS-3 (2005-06):
30 per cent of children are born with low birth weight 47 per cent of children are underweight Young children in India suffer from some of the highest levels of stunting, underweight, and wasting observed in any country in the world, and 7 out of every 10 young children are anaemic The nutritional status of children is strongly related to the nutritional status of their mothers More than a third (36%) of women have a BMI below 18.5, indicating a high prevalence of nutritional deficiency. Among women who are thin, 44% are moderately or severely thin. Undernutrition is higher for women than men

Nutritional Status
36 percent of women and 34 percent of men are undernourished, with a BMI less than 18.5, indicating a high prevalence of nutritional deficiency.
Age 15-49 years CED (BMI<18.5) Anemia (Ever Married) Anemia (Pregnant) Rural Women 38.8 percent 58.2 percent 59.0 percent Urban Women 25 percent 50.9 percent 54.6 percent

Source: NFHS -3, 2005-06

Anaemia Prevalence among Women and Men by Residence

Urban Rural Total

Women
40 39 36

57 56 51

Men
28
24

14

16 16
2

18 14 13 11 6 1 2
1

12

10

M o de ra te

M o de ra te

S ev er e

S ev er e

A ny

Anaemia prevalence levels are more than two times higher among women than men with almost half of them with moderate to severe anaemia. The prevalence of anaemia is marginally higher in rural than urban areas but anaemia is a common problem in both urban and rural areas. More than 50 percent of women in rural and urban areas are anaemic, with almost a third of them with moderate to severe anemia.
NFHS-3, 2005-06

M ild

M ild

A ny

Percentage of Ever Married Women with Anaemia in Rural India

Percentage of Women with Chronic Energy Deficiency in Rural India

A vicious cycle of women in poor health giving birth to unhealthy children Several studies have established that high levels of malnutrition have a negative impact on productivity and economic growth. Attention to Womens health has to be a priority for a healthy population

Some Aspects of Livelihood Security

According to the Report of the National Commission on Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector
89.1% of non-farm enterprises are in the informal sector; Provide employment to 86.3% of the work force Contributes to half of our GDP 84% of male work force and 91.3 % of female work force are in the informal sector Women account for 86% of total subsidiary workers in the country Incidence of severely unemployed and part-time workers relatively higher for females than males

Percentage Distribution of Workers by Male and Female

2004-05 Total Male Workers Total Female Workers Total Workers Informal Sector 84.0 91.3 86.3 Formal Sector 16.0 8.7 13.7 Inequality Ratio 5.25 10.49 6.30

Source: NCEUS Report 2009

Percentage Distribution by Activity Status

2004-05 Self Emp loyed
Own A/c / Employer Unpaid family work

Total 61.19 54.43

Regular Casual Salaried /Wage 8.95 18.26 29.86 27.31

Total

Female Male

17.28 40.23

43.91 14.20

100 100

Percentage of female casual workers receiving less than minimum wage was 95% as against 74% in the case of males. Similar trend observed in the case of regular salaried/wage employed

Source: NCEUS Report 2009

Women in Agriculture
The term Farmer taken to mean male. Women farmers not recognized. Land not in their name A lot of their work unaccounted for Discrimination in wage rate Recent times phenomenon of feminization of agriculture At the policy level, it was only in the Sixth Five Year Plan (1980-85) that womens role in development was recognized and a separate chapter was devoted to this aspect. The National Commission on Farmers took a comprehensive definition of farmers to include both men and women. Recommended a Gram Panchayat Mahila Fund We have a National Policy for Farmers that talks of support services for women farmers etc.

Policy Imperatives
The health status particularly of women and children is a major cause of concern A life cycle approach to health and nutrition necessarily demands special attention to this sensitive group Recognise the crisis and measures to remedy it UN MDGs
MDG3: Promote gender equality and empower women MDG4: Eliminate gender disparity in education

Policy Imperatives
Access to physical and natural resources starting with land Access to financial resources, inputs and support services Recognition of womens work and contribution Equal pay for equal work Emphasis on sex disaggregated data

Alongwith this Attitudinal change and sensitivity needed

across the board starting at intra household level Greater awareness and demand to ensure access to and delivery of entitlements

Ensuring womens access to land and other resources requires changes in laws and institutions to end discrimination and supportive public policies to promote equality.. .Prioritizing women is not a choice. It is a necessity.
From Michelle Bachelet, UN Women Executive Director, Statement for International Day for Rural Women, 15 Oct

As long as women do not have the same rights in law as men, as long as the birth of a girl does not receive the same welcome as that of a boy, so long we should know that India is suffering from partial paralysis. Suppression of women is inconsistent with principles of ahimsa (non-violence).
Mahatma Gandhi, Harijan, August 18, 1940

Still a long way to go.