Assessing the Impact of Women's Socio-Economic Empowerment on Household Food Security in District Faisalabad

Abstract

Women's socio-economic empowerment is central to household food security, particularly in a region such as District Faisalabad, Pakistan. Empowered women are more likely to participate in household decision-making regarding nutrition and food allocation. This enhanced decision-making capacity ultimately improves the food security status of their families. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between Women's Socio-Economic Empowerment (WSEE) and Household Food Security (HFS) in District Faisalabad. Despite the indispensable role women play in food production and preparation, persistent gender inequality continues to undermine their contribution to household nutritional wellbeing. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, 286 married women aged 18–50 years were selected from Chak 132 and Chak 92 (143 respondents from each) as study participants. The study examined the significant dimensions of WSEE across the four pillars of HFS: availability, access, utilization, and stability. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires with predefined empowerment indicators. The study argued that food security improves with greater levels of women's empowerment, with particular focus on dietary diversity and nutritional fulfillment. Data were analyzed using SPSS. The study found that 54.9% of women were classified as under-empowered and 68.2% of households were food insecure in District Faisalabad. WSEE was strongly associated with improved HFS through enhanced dietary diversity and more effective resource utilization. However, a high household size reduced the odds of food security by 25% per additional member (OR = 0.75), demonstrating that empowerment alone is insufficient. Accordingly, policymakers are urged to implement integrated interventions that simultaneously advance SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), coupling women's empowerment with social protection measures, family planning services, and livelihood support for high-dependency households to achieve sustained nutritional security.