Abstract:
BACKGROUND : Child malnutrition persists globally with men and women playing distinct roles to support children’s
nutrition. Women frequently carry the bulk of the workload related to food, care, and health, all of which are critical
factors in child nutrition. For this reason, development efforts have emphasised women ignoring the potential role
of men in supporting children’s nutrition. This study sought to understand the different roles that Malawian men and
women play in children’s nutrition.
METHODS : This qualitative was conducted in rural Central Malawi as part of a baseline study in 2017 for the CARE
Southern Africa Nutrition Initiative. Seventy-six participants were interviewed, including 19 men and 57 women, using
focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. We sought to understand the gender distribution of men’s and
women’s roles and how these roles influence child nutrition.
RESULTS : We found that both men and women were involved in productive, reproductive, and community work.
However, consistent with the literature, women carried a disproportionate workload in supporting child nutrition
compared to men. Women’s heavier workloads often prevented them from being able to meet children’s food needs.
Nevertheless, shifts in gender roles were observed in some of the sampled communities, with men taking up responsibilities
that have been typically associated with women. These changes in gender roles, however, did not necessarily
increase women’s power within the household.
CONCLUSIONS : Traditional gender roles remain prevalent in the sampled communities. Women continue to be primarily
responsible for the food, care, and health of the household. Women’s heavy workloads prevent them from providing
optimal care and nutrition for children. While efforts to advance gender equality by encouraging men to participate
in child care and other household responsibilities appear to have had marginal success, the extent to which
these efforts have successfully encouraged men to share power remains unclear. Improving gender equality and child
nutrition will require efforts to redistribute gendered work and encourage men to move towards shared power with
women over household decision-making and control over income.
Description:
This study was part of a baseline study conducted in 2017 as part of the CARE Southern Africa Nutrition Initiative (SANI), a project undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.