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Opening the box: Intrahousehold food allocation in rural Nepal

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  • Gittelsohn, Joel

Abstract

The study examined intrahousehold food behavior in six villages in a rural hill area of mid-Western Nepal. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies taken from both anthropology and nutritional sciences were used to collect data on food belief systems, household allocation of food resources, and the effect of these features on diet and anthropometric status in a sample of 767 individuals in 115 households. Background data were also collected on socioeconomic status and demographic variables such as education levels, occupation, and migration patterns. The core methodological approach used direct structured observations of meals to examine how food is distributed within households. The results document a variety of mechanisms by which some individuals are favored over others through household food distribution, including serving order, serving method, refusing to serve foods, channeling foods and substituting low status foods for high status foods. No differences were observed in mechanisms of food distribution or nutrient intake between male and female children, contrary to evidence in the literature suggesting that male children will be favored. On the other hand, adult women were less likely to meet their nutrient requirements for energy, beta-carotene, riboflavin, and vitamin C than men of the same age. Women's late position in household serving order, channeling of special foods to males and children, and lower total intake of food accounts for these findings.

Suggested Citation

  • Gittelsohn, Joel, 1991. "Opening the box: Intrahousehold food allocation in rural Nepal," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 1141-1154, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:33:y:1991:i:10:p:1141-1154
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Haddad, Lawrence James & Peña, Christine & Nishida, Chizuru & Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Slack, Alison T., 1996. "Food security and nutrition implications of intrahousehold bias," FCND discussion papers 19, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    2. Anuradha Seth, 1998. "Intra-Household Consumption Patterns: Issues, Evidence and Implications for Human Development," Human Development Occasional Papers (1992-2007) HDOCPA-1998-18, Human Development Report Office (HDRO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
    3. Arimond, Mary & Ruel, Marie T., 2001. "Assessing care," FCND discussion papers 119, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
      • Arimond, Mary & Ruel, Marie T., 2001. "Assessing care," FCND briefs 119, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    4. Katz, Elizabeth G., 1995. "Gender and trade within the household: Observations from rural guatemala," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 327-342, February.
    5. Elisabetta Aurino & Whitney Schott & Jere R. Behrman & Mary Penny, 2019. "Nutritional Status from 1 to 15 Years and Adolescent Learning for Boys and Girls in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 38(6), pages 899-931, December.
    6. Ueyama, Mika, 2007. "Income growth and gender bias in childhood mortality in developing countries:," IFPRI discussion papers 739, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    7. Johanna T. Wong & Brigitte Bagnol & Heather Grieve & Joanita Bendita Jong & Mu Li & Robyn G. Alders, 2018. "Factors influencing animal-source food consumption in Timor-Leste," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(3), pages 741-762, June.
    8. Mullany, Britta C., 2006. "Barriers to and attitudes towards promoting husbands' involvement in maternal health in Katmandu, Nepal," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(11), pages 2798-2809, June.
    9. Saruna Ghimire & Binaya Kumar Baral & Karen Callahan, 2017. "Nutritional assessment of community-dwelling older adults in rural Nepal," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(2), pages 1-15, February.
    10. Finaret, A.B. & Miller, L.C. & Joshi, N. & Mahato, S. & Lohani, M. & Drozdowsky, J. & Rogers, B.L., 2018. "Longitudinal analysis of the intrahousehold distribution of foods in rural Nepal: Relative variability of child dietary quality across age and sex cohorts," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 101-110.
    11. Aurino, Elisabetta, 2017. "Do boys eat better than girls in India? Longitudinal evidence on dietary diversity and food consumption disparities among children and adolescents," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 99-111.
    12. Mst Asma Khatun & Koji Kotani, 2021. "Intrahousehold food intake inequality by family roles and age groups," Working Papers SDES-2021-15, Kochi University of Technology, School of Economics and Management, revised Dec 2021.
    13. Coates, Jennifer & Rogers, Beatrice Lorge & Blau, Alexander & Lauer, Jacqueline & Roba, Alemzewed, 2017. "Filling a dietary data gap? Validation of the adult male equivalent method of estimating individual nutrient intakes from household-level data in Ethiopia and Bangladesh," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 27-42.
    14. Magnus Hatlebakk, 2012. "Malnutrition in South-Asia. Poverty, diet or lack of female empowerment?," CMI Working Papers 4, CMI (Chr. Michelsen Institute), Bergen, Norway.

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