Gender Differences in Nutritional Status and Its Management in Third World Countries

Abstract

Malnutrition as a serious problem of the Third World countries appears to be also a gender problem - about 70% of the malnourished are females. Coincidence of poverty, lack of nutrition, analphabetism and rigid traditional (patriarchal) dogmas contributes to discrimination of women even in this field.

Improvement of this situation can be reached not only through medical measures, a complex of the socio-cultural conditions must be changed to assure equal gender opportunities.

Keywords

• gender differences
• malnutrition
• biological
• medical aspects
• cultural social factors