Gender and income inequalities in Brazilian households: implications for food security and nutrition

Abstract

In Brazil, the articulation between the problem of combating hunger and income transfer policies deepened the debate on food insecurity (FI). Limited access to income may explain the greater vulnerability of families with a female reference person to severe FI. The article aims to investigate the difference in the participation of earnings from work, benefits and social programs in the income of families in food security (FS) and severe FI, according to the gender of the reference person. Quantitative study that analyzed data from 37,927 households from the 2018 Household Budget Survey. The difference in the participation of income from work, retirement, pension, and the Bolsa Família Program (PBF) in family income was analyzed according to per capita income and situation of AS and severe FI, assessed by the Brazilian Scale of Food Insecurity. The analysis privileged the concept of the sexual division of labor, and the results revealed a greater participation of the PBF for families with a female reference person when in FS and with lower income. The greater contribution of conditional cash transfers to these families reaffirms their importance as a mechanism for social protection and reduction of inequalities.