Gender Inequalities In North America

Words: 512
Pages: 3

Within the agri-food system gender-based inequalities exist and they undermine food and nutrition security, restrain economic and agricultural growth, and constrain women to certain roles. This paper will outline some of these inequalities and further explain their significance and how they impact women and their environments. This paper will also examine these inequalities within a North-American and a developing nation context to understand the various gender inequalities that exist globally. In North America many households have a gender division of household labour, where women continue to do the majority of the “food work” (Brady, Gingras, & Power, 2012). This can be widely attributed to assumed and constructed gender roles …show more content…
They are viewed as responsible for their loved ones' health and nutrition choices (Brady et. al, 2012). These gender roles make society believe that women are innately inclined to nurture, and automatically take on extra responsibilities like feeding a family (Barndt, 2004). For women, this labour is viewed as required of a female and is considered easy when compared to the kind “hard” and “real” labour done by men (Brady et. al, 2012). Dominant gender ideologies associate men and the public sphere with independence, power, paid employment, and financial support of the family. Contrary to this, women and the private sphere are associated with dependence, vulnerability, caregiving, and feeding the family, even if they too have a full time job (Barndt, 2004). Women cook primarily as a means of caring for their partners and children, fostering family connection, and safeguarding family health. Conversely, men view cooking as a leisure activity; preparing food for others is used to show off their talents (Brady et. al, 2012).Research shows that women