Gendered Food and Water Insecurity in South Asia

Women in South Asia, like women across the world, face disproportionate water and food insecurity. Aspects such as access to education, income, gender roles, and land ownership are cross-cutting themes influencing women’s water and food insecurity. However, country- and region-specific issues, premised in diverse political, economic, cultural, and environmental conditions, also shape differential water and food insecurity for particular groups of women. Understanding the complex and multidimensional aspects of differential gendered water and food insecurity is a core concern for scholars and policymakers. In this chapter, I review the common aspects as well as country- and region-specific issues impacting women’s water and food insecurity in South Asia. A nuanced understanding of how diverse groups of women are impacted by food and water insecurity is important for developing nuanced and targeted interventions towards achieving SDGs 2 and 6.