Recognise Women’s Role In Nutrition

A thriving household with healthy and happy family members is a vision we all aspire. Time is a testimony to the significant role women have played in shaping households and preserving lineage. Day in, day out, come rain or snow, women across the globe go about planning and prepping fresh, warm, nourishing meals for the family. For her, happy faces after a meal are a source of solace and satisfying the random food cravings of children is a triumph. Without an iota of expectation in return, the role continues throughout a lifetime for many.

This March 8th, as we commemorate International Women’s Day, let’s take a step aside and reflect on the role of women, specifically homemakers, in family nutrition. Have we ever wondered what may lie beneath this silent hustle? Layers of aspirations that might have succumbed to family responsibilities amidst the humdrum of daily life. Her need for self-identity and financial freedom can be found overshadowed by life priorities. While her efforts are always considered supreme and incomparable, how often have we thought about empowering her identity? It's time that women's role in family nutrition is recognised and valued in a more meaningful manner, which enables and strengthens her financially as well. 

Central role

In the context of a typical family setting in Nepal, women and food are considered to have a synonymous relationship, one that is ingrained within the social strata. Women have always been central to family nutrition, an outcome of gender roles passed down by generations. Food cooked by a mother is upheld as an ultimate yardstick of perfection, love and care. From tailoring the art of managing available resources to making good food choices, women with their inherent culinary skills are indispensable figures in households. 

Homemakers have even more important roles when looking after children, the elderly and the sick. Likewise, caring for pregnant women and infants also calls for close supervision. Nourishment received from conception up till two years of age, also known as the “Golden 1,000 days”, is known to impact lifelong immunity against illness. Caregiving roles become crucial here and rigid traditional norms, including dietary regimes, are duly followed to ensure the wellness of the mother and child. The role of women in preserving the rich culinary heritage of the land is also remarkable. Festive delicacies are an integral aspect of Nepali culture and women across households prioritise upholding these traditions. 

The social stigma of stereotyping the female gender as nurturers and carers have constricted avenues of liberation for many women for long. As gender disparity slows fades, women are exploring new avenues and revelling in hard-earned self-worth. Many women can now be seen handling responsibilities both at the work and domestic front. While this is no doubt challenging, the financial independence they own is liberating. Women today are even leaving their nest behind for more secure careers. 

Recent trends show women leaving Nepal for caregiver jobs abroad. Ironically, she leaves behind elderly and children to be cared for by extended relatives. While this reveals the rising value of the caregiving role, it also reflects the need to pause and reflect on the invaluable service of our homemakers and the acknowledgement they deserve. As society rapidly advances towards a more individualistic era, where people no longer sacrifice careers and aspirations for others, it's heartwarming to see many homemakers devote all their time and energy to family wellness. 

It is disheartening, however, to realise that many do not have access to finances that they can own and spend at their will. Within the present societal setting, it is common to see a male family guardian more empowered in terms of financial security as compared to a women homemaker. While this may not seem to matter initially, as life progresses, the increasing gap in the couple’s financial worth could fuel dissatisfaction and family dynamics could be adversely influenced. Timely intervention in this direction would help address these underlying issues.   

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is “Accelerate Action”, a statement that resonates with the need to initiate action for reducing disparity and empower the gender lagging behind. It’s time we reflect on these latent issues and initiate concrete steps towards acknowledging home makers. 

Empowering homemakers financially could be a way ahead. Today, social security in Nepal exists for various types of citizens, including employees, the elderly, vulnerable and many challenged groups. In this context, can the government work towards providing a homemaker allowance? At the family level, a gesture of gratitude can be shown to the homemaker in the form of a monetary token from the family income itself regularly. The local level government could also work towards formally recognising and supporting homemakers. Organising relevant skill-based competitions among homemakers would also help boost the morale of women. 

Empowerment 

Societal roles have always converged women’s responsibilities towards the domestic front, concentrating on nurturing roles. However, today, women have broken the barriers of social taboos and excelled professionally as well. Nevertheless, the hustle to maintain a balance between the two worlds is far from easy. It’s time to strategically recognise a woman’s role in family nutrition and imitate dialogues on her welfare and security. 

In the current climate of financial independence and increasing need to fulfil individual aspirations, social mechanisms that empower full-time homemakers financially needs to be developed. While any mode of support would be incomparable to the enormity of selfless service by women towards family wellness, strategic interventions in this direction would honour her role and steer us towards a more progressive society.   

(The author is a food technologist: monicakpg@yahoo.com)