Food Insecurity in Europe: A Gender Perspective

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Economics
• Public Health

Background:

• Food insecurity impacts individuals globally, with notable gender disparities.
• Women often bear a greater burden of food insecurity, particularly in Europe.
• Existing research highlights the importance of women in household food management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare key determinants of individual food insecurity across continents.
• To analyze gender-specific differences in food insecurity.
• To investigate factors moderating women's vulnerability to food insecurity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a large international sample of individual-level data.
• Employed a global, comparable experiential measure of food insecurity.
• Applied a modeling approach allowing gender interactions with education, poverty, and residence.

Main Results:

• Education emerged as a key factor mitigating food insecurity for both genders.
• Individuals with university degrees showed a lower probability of food insecurity.
• The number of children in a household more significantly impacted women's food insecurity than men's.

Conclusions:

• Education is a critical tool for reducing gender disparities in food insecurity.
• Policy interventions should consider the differential impact of family structures on women's food security.
• Further research is needed to understand the complex interplay of social and economic drivers affecting gender and food insecurity.