Gender Disparities in Perceived Life Satisfaction within Food Insecure Populations

Abstract

The experience of food insecurity (FI) may be lived differently by men and women; little is known about gender differences in perceived life satisfaction (LS) at the same levels of FI. It is hypothesized that FI is a strong determinant of low LS and that at the same FI level, women will report lower perceived LS than men.
 Preliminary analysis used data from 12 Asian and 4 Middle Eastern (ME) countries collected by the Gallup World Poll in 2014, a nationally representative survey of adult individuals worldwide. Cross tab analyses and multiple logistic regression were used to investigate whether being food insecure and being female were risk factors for low LS, controlling for age and marital status. Two dichotomous indicators, LS and FI, were created: one using a single question adapted from The Cantril Self‐Anchoring Striving Scale; and another based on results of the Food Insecurity Experience Scale.
 FI was significantly associated with low LS in all 16 countries explored (OR: 2.06‐5.43). Contrary to the hypothesis, in 3 out of 4 ME countries women were significantly less likely than men to report low LS (OR: .478‐.602) at the same FI level. Similarly, in all but 2 Asian countries women were less likely than men to report low LS at the same FI level, with statistically significant ORs < 1.0 in 7 countries (OR:.64‐.79). Exploratory analysis shows women were more likely to be FI than men in all except 2 countries.
 Perceptions of life satisfaction differ within food insecure populations, notably between genders. This calls for continued research on why LS is viewed differently by men and women, what the consequences are then for FI populations, and what implications exist for policies aimed at promoting food security.