Conduites d'affrontement féminines (coping behaviour) et inégalités de genre dans la sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle. Cas de deux villages du Nicaragua
- Autores: Helena Dolors Marsellés Cullerés
- Directores de la Tesis: Jean Vincent (dir. tes.), Antonio Colom Gorgues (codir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat de Lleida ( España ) en 2011
- Idioma: español
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Martine Padilla (presid.), Jean-baptiste Humeau (secret.), Eve L. Crowley (voc.), Isabel de Felipe Boente (voc.), Jean Vincent (voc.)
- Materias:
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- Resumen
This thesis is about livelihoods and food security in two villages which are vulnerable, isolated and demographically and agro-ecologically different. This research studies the role of household factors, mainly those pertaining to gender, in livelihood security and, consequently, in food and nutritional security of households and of their members. There is a focus on female coping behaviours during food shortages.
This work is based on qualitative methods -mainly observations, group and individual interviews based on social and anthropological sciences-, and on quantitative methods-coming from nutrition sciences (in particular "24 hours recalls", food diversity surveys and anthropometric measures). Information was gathered for all the households in the villages, whereas detailed inquiries were done for the same 30 households.
Results show that, if women have a more limited ability to generate livelihood, their position in the household is more associated to household food security and to the nutritional status of children of less than 5 than that of men. Thus, household food security improves with the heritage of women and especially with the possession of cattle. Food security is also linked to female human capital and improves with their education, abilities and experiences whereas it decreases with their age. Household food security also tends to rise with the percentage of revenue managed by women and with their involvement in the management of household resources (including financial resources) and intra-household decision making. The essential role that women play in coping behaviour against food scarcities is also revealed.
Women and girls are also vulnerable to an increasing food and nutritional insecurity. Being always the last to be served, women's meals depend on "what is left in the saucepan": they often eat less than others and they usually get the smallest portion. Apart from the adult females, this rule also applies to girls after a certain age. Significant statistical differences appear between both sexes as to protein adequacy for groups above five years old and always to the advantage of males. This seems to increase during times of greater food shortage (such as the "joining" periods).
This study illustrates the importance that must be accorded to gender issues in the fighting against food insecurity, in both the action plans to be implemented (which strategies are efficient) and in their monitoring and evaluation (identifying the target groups that should be tracked in the analysis of the results).
