Nutrition and Gender

NUTRITION AND GENDER

Gender equality is essential to ending malnutrition. Nutrition is shaped not only by the availability of food, but also by the social, economic, and cultural factors that influence who has access to nutritious diets, quality health services, education, livelihoods, and decision-making.

Malnutrition disproportionately affects women and girls. Women and girls make up 60% of the world's chronically malnourished people, and more than one billion adolescent girls and women experience one or more forms of malnutrition. They are also more vulnerable than men and boys during conflict, climate-related disasters, and other crises, when food insecurity and inequalities often worsen.

Poor nutrition has lifelong consequences. Malnutrition undermines the health, wellbeing, and economic opportunities of women and girls, while also affecting the growth, development, and survival of their children. This creates an intergenerational cycle of poor health and poverty and is estimated to cost the global economy more than US$1.6 trillion each year in lost productivity and human potential.

Why does gender matter for nutrition?

Gender norms and unequal power relationships influence nutrition throughout the life course.

• Women and girls often have less access to nutritious food and resources. In many settings, they have less control over household income, land, agricultural inputs, and decision-making. Some women and girls eat last or least, increasing their risk of undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies such as anaemia.
• Women have unique nutritional needs. Adolescence, pregnancy, and breastfeeding increase nutritional requirements, making access to diverse diets and quality health and nutrition services especially important.
• Crises amplify gender inequalities. Climate change, conflict, displacement, and economic shocks disproportionately affect women and girls, increasing food insecurity and the risk of harmful coping strategies, including child marriage and reduced food consumption.
• Gender intersects with other forms of exclusion. Children with disabilities and other marginalised groups also face greater risks of malnutrition due to barriers to healthcare, education, livelihoods, and social inclusion. Addressing nutrition inequities requires recognising these overlapping vulnerabilities.

World Vision's approach

World Vision integrates gender equality across its nutrition programming because equitable nutrition outcomes cannot be achieved without addressing the barriers that women and girls face. We work with families, communities, and governments to promote equitable decision-making, improve access to nutritious foods and health services, strengthen women's leadership and agency, and engage men and boys as partners in improving nutrition.

Our programmes also apply a gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) lens to ensure that nutrition interventions reach those who are most at risk of malnutrition and exclusion. By addressing both the immediate causes of malnutrition and the underlying social and gender inequalities that drive it, we help build healthier, more resilient families and communities.

Read more in World Vision's GEDSI and Health reference guide.