Food and the gender gap

Trade will never be truly fair as long as women continue to be disproportionately trapped in poverty and underrepresented in global agriculture and business, the Fairtrade Foundation warned, following the release of a new Fairtrade global gender strategy on International Women’s Day (8 March 2016).

The Gender Pay Gap Sale – 13.9% discount at Oxfam’s Online Shop to mark International Women’s Day

Hunger and the gender gap

While women make up nearly half the agricultural workforce, and often play a vital role in value addition of crops, they remain excluded from land ownerships, are lower paid and struggle for fair access to loans or technical skills training.

But closing this gender gap could actually address hunger, as the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation suggests; 150 million people could be lifted out of hunger by removing gender inequalities in agriculture.

‘This year’s International Women’s Day focus on parity has never been more important at a time when the majority of women in developing countries do not own their own land, are badly paid and locked out of decision-making processes. Gender inequality is not simply unjust, it is dangerous.

‘When women are in positions of leadership the whole of our society benefits and when they are not, the economy loses out from wasted talent.

Barbara Crowther, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Fairtrade