Female-headed households and food insecurity in Brazil

The National Household Survey carried out in 2009 by Brazil’s bureau of the census contains information on a representative sample of 121,708 households. The questionnaire includes items that enable us to identify households that experience moderate and severe degrees of food insecurity. The results of logistic regression analyses support the hypothesis that the odds of food insecurity are higher among female-headed households compared to male-headed households. Net of statistical controls for region, urban residence, age, monthly per capita household income, and five indicators of the internal composition of the household, the odds of moderate and severe food insecurity are, respectively, 32 % and 16 % higher among households headed by women compared to households headed by men. Further analyses show that the likelihood of food insecurity increases with presence of young children 0–10 years of age and older children 11–18 years of age. The importance of intra-household characteristics is confirmed by results that show that the odds of both moderate and severe food insecurity increase with additional adult males but decrease with additional adult females. Evidence that the presence of adult females reduces food insecurity is consistent with studies of gender differences in household decision making which show that, compared to men, women’s spending patterns have a greater positive effect on the welfare of children and other members of the household. The conclusions are discussed in the context of the poverty and hunger alleviation initiatives in Brazil’s new social policy agenda.