Discuss the role of gender in terms of disparities in health and food issues Flashcards
Thesis statement + definitions
Paragraphs
- Stigmatization
- Land rights
- Medicine (maternity and reproduction)
- Patriarchy & polygamy
Examples of stigmatization
In Hinduism, a commonly practiced religion in India, a woman is considered “dirty and impure” during menstruation.
Explanation of stigmatization
Women face shocking levels of stigma and marginalization in some societies.
Infertility and ill health can lead to women becoming outcasts.
Examples of land rights
In Sub-Saharan Africa, when males are the primary decision-makers within extended families and polygamous relationships, women are allotted a small plot of land and from this, they are responsible for providing food for themselves and their children.
Explanation of land rights
Lack of access to land rights and daily food needs hits women hardest and so women are more likely to suffer malnutrition.
Across many regions of the world, women face discrimination in terms of access to credit and land tenure.
Many inheritance laws favor the husband of the wife or even their son.
Exaples for medicine
In Chad 1 in every 15 women will die due to complications during childbirth.
A study in Canada found that physicians were more likely to recommend total knee arthroplasty for male patients when both men and women present with similar levels of disability, meaning that women will experience disability for a longer period before surgery.
Explanation for medicine
This stems from a lack of attention to women’s problems and women not being taken seriously.
Sexism in doctors also plays a part (e.g. Canada).
Examples for patriarchy & polygamy
In Niger, it is customary for a man to take a second or even a third wife, and when there was a severe food shortage when crops failed in 2015, many second and third wives of men were limited access to food as the first wives are often given priority.
Explanation for patriarchy & polygamy
The impacts of gender on food insecurity often vary on a world-regional scale.
Access to most financial services such as credit and insurance is only available to men in rural areas. This greatly limits food security and farming innovation for women.
Access to land and land ownership for women is very limited in most parts of the developing world. This means that they have little control over their land and the size of their holding is only large enough for subsistence farming.
