Gendered Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Behaviors in North Africa: Cases of Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia
Date
2022-02-15Author
Ben Hassen, TarekEl Bilali, Hamid
Allahyari, Mohammad S.
Kamel, Islam Mohamed
Ben Ismail, Hanen
Debbabi, Hajer
Sassi, Khaled
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Show full item recordAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic-related measures in the Near East and North Africa (NENA)
region have resulted in many lifestyle modifications, including changes in diet and food buying
patterns among adults. However, the pandemic has impacted women and men differently and
exacerbated existing socio-economic and gender inequalities. Indeed, numerous studies conducted
worldwide have shown that the COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionately negative impact
on women compared to males. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the effects of COVID-19 on
women’s food behaviors in three countries of the North Africa sub-region, namely, Egypt, Morocco,
and Tunisia. The study was based on an online poll conducted by SurveyMonkey from 15 September
to 5 November 2020, with 995 participants. The outcomes of the research found that when compared
to men, (1) women tend to consume more food out of fear, anxiety, or boredom; (2) women prefer to
eat more unhealthy food; (3) women tend to stockpile a greater amount of food; and (4) women tend
to modify their shopping habits more often. The findings should inform gender-sensitive strategies
and policies to address the negative impacts of the pandemic and foster transition towards healthier
diets and resilient food systems during the recovery period.
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