Gendered food insecurity among adolescents in African communities

School girls in the Central African Republic.  Image by hdptcar from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).

In many African communities, food is more than just sustenance — it's a reflection of culture, tradition, and, often, gender dynamics. At the dinner table, the subtle yet prevalent practice of prioritizing boys over girls manifests through what scholars term gender differences in food insecurity. This disparity, where adolescent boys receive larger portions or better quality food than girls, has far-reaching consequences and underscores deeper societal attitudes towards nutrition and gender equality.

Adolescent girls in Africa often face heightened risks of anemia, stunted growth, and weakened immunity. With an estimated 60 million cases of anemia in adolescent girls annually, costing the Africa Union (AU) member states a staggering USD 1.38 billion, widespread malnutrition and invisible inequality exacerbate the gender health gap and threaten the well-being of future generations.

In 2023, the AU and Nutrition International (NI) launched the adolescent nutrition campaign “With Good Nutrition, She’ll Grow into It” (SGII), with a simple message that girls can become anything and everything they want to be and good nutrition is critical to helping them get there. 

In an interview conducted in Ejigbo, Lagos, Nigeria, Adesewa Olofinko from Global Voices explores the prevalence of food inequality through conversations with two teenage girls, Favour Okeowo and Fisayo Falade.

The interviews were conducted with parental consent and in the presence of a guardian to ensure a safe and supportive environment.

Adesewa Olofinko (AO): Do you have health programs and school subjects that teach girls about the importance of nutrition?

Favour Okeowo (FO): Yes, in my school, we have physical and health education (PHE) programs and food and nutrition subjects twice every week, but it is not a compulsory subject, so some students don’t take the class. Although we don’t do much during the PHE [physical and health education] classes, it’s always a chance to engage in physical activities like running or other games.  

Fisayo Falade (FF): We have Home Economics, but it’s very broad. They teach us about home management, nutrition, clothing, and other things. The teacher does not dwell on nutrition like that — except maybe when we had a topic on ‘Classes of foods.’ But they usually just say, ‘Don’t eat too much junk food, eat a balanced diet.’ 

AO: Have you ever gone to school or bed hungry because there wasn’t enough food to go around? How does this affect your ability to focus or participate in school activities?

FO: I don’t eat most of the time before going to school in the morning. But my mum gives me about 300 naira (USD 0.19) or 500 naira (USD 0.32) to buy food. If there’s an extra lesson in school, then sometimes she gives me around 700 (USD 0.45). It can buy me puff-puff (a Nigerian staple snack) and a drink or fried yam and pepper, sometimes Akara (bean cake) and bread.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most common nutritional cause of anemia is iron deficiency, which is a serious global public health problem affecting 30 percent of women and girls 15–49 years old worldwide.

Nigerian local foodstuffs.  Image by Bukky658,  from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

In 2022, the AU declared the theme of the year “nutrition” as a way to advocate for the development of a strategic framework for the prevention and management of anemia in Africa. Even though the Africa Regional Nutrition Strategy (ARNS) 2016–2025 targeted a 50 percent reduction in anemia among girls and women of reproductive age (15–49 years), it lacked a dedicated strategy to achieve this goal.

AO: Do you feel that boys and girls in your family are treated differently when it comes to food? Can you share any examples of this?

FF: My brother eats a lot more than me. I am three years older than him, but he gets the bigger portion every time. He eats a lot. I think it’s because he’s a boy and boys eat more than girls. He’s stronger than me too, but I am taller.

This imbalance and the practice of gendered feeding inequality in many African communities are often rooted in cultural norms and perceptions of value. The underlying, unspoken rationale in many households is that boys are seen as investments in the family’s future, while girls are expected to marry and eventually “belong” to another family.

AO: Do you understand why your parents give you smaller food plates than your brother?

FF: My father always said that boys grow up to become breadwinners of the family and will carry on the family name but that the girl should focus on her education and domestic responsibilities. Even though I am three years older than my brother, they give him bigger portions of food than me because my mum says he is stronger and ‘a man.’ I know it’s wrong, and I hope to one day change that and prove to them that a girl can become anything she wants. 

The cost of unequal portions in Africa

The practice of gendered feeding carries long-term consequences beyond the present, particularly for a girl’s health, education, and future opportunities. In adolescents, malnutrition is not only capable of stunting physical and cognitive development, but it leaves girls less equipped to perform academically or compete in the labor market.

The Africa Regional Nutrition Strategy (ARNS 2026–2035), the successor to the ARNS 2016–2025, is aimed at supporting the achievement of a 50 percent reduction of anemia in adolescent girls and women of reproductive age. Through various nutrition policies, they are designed to assist AU member states in refining their national goals and programs.

Even though this silent hunger or inequality in feeding denies girls both physical nourishment and opportunities to thrive, it isn’t an indictment of African culture as a monolith. Across the continent, there are variations in how food is distributed and valued, with family structure, parental working status, and socioeconomic status playing an important role in the diet quality of adolescents. 

Rebalancing the plate

Organizations such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), and many other local agencies continue to play a huge role through advocacy and campaigns to tackle malnutrition and adolescent nutrition for girls on the continent. In October 2023, Tanzania became the first African country to launch the Nutrition International “She’ll Grow Into It campaign at the national level, highlighting the importance of adequate nutrition for the development and well-being of adolescent girls.

Feeding inequalities are a mirror to the broader gender imbalances in our societies. For the African Union to achieve its Agenda 2063 of a prosperous Africa, every child must have an equal chance to thrive, regardless of gender, and sometimes, it begins on the plate. As the Africa Regional Nutrition Strategy enters its next decade, it remains to be seen whether there will be tangible progress in tackling malnutrition and anemia reduction across the continent.

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