Women's Studies
Kayvan Shoja Chaghervand; Alireza Poursaeed; Maryam Omidi Najaf Abadi
Abstract
The empowerment has been known as controlling decision making about his or her life and ability for interventions in all their life challenges (Baig et al., 2018). Women empowerment can improve sustainability in development fields (Akhter & Cheng, 2020). Empowerment conception not only comprises ...
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The empowerment has been known as controlling decision making about his or her life and ability for interventions in all their life challenges (Baig et al., 2018). Women empowerment can improve sustainability in development fields (Akhter & Cheng, 2020). Empowerment conception not only comprises extrinsic control but it also is included the development of intrinsic capabilities (Abrar-ul-Haq, Jali, & Islam, 2018). It has been reported that the development of the empowerment in women is a pivotal actors for improving productivity and food security in rural areas (Sharaunga, Mudhara, & Bogale, 2016).Food security is the measure of the availability of food and individuals' ability to access it. According to the United Nations' Committee on World Food Security, food security is defined as meaning that all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life. Female-headed households who live in rural areas are faced with serious challenges in their life, because they should manage their life and supply their life costs. In Iran, some supporting institutions support female-headed households but their pensions are not sufficient to manage their life. It was recently reported that 32% of Iranian families are living in food insecurity (Pakravan-Charvadeh et al., 2020).Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of job empowerment on food security of rural female-headed households under supervision of the Welfare Organization. Statistical population of the current study included 495 women based on the data collected from Statistical Center of Iran and 216 women were selected with the help of Cochran’s formula. Tehran province was divided into ten rural districts and each district was considered as a classification. A self-designed questionnaire consisting from 11 variables were used for job empowerment of women comprising grouping work and communication skills (n= 7 items), creativity and solving problem (n= 6 items), commitment and responsibility (n= 6 items), information and specific knowledge (n= 5 items) and technical skills and operational work (n= 5 items). A five-point Likert scale was considered for each variable ranging from 1 (very low) to 5 (very high). A standard questionnaire comprising accessibility (n= 6 items), availability (n= 6 items), utilization (n= 7 items) and stability (n= 4 items) was used for food security construct. A six-point Likert scale was considered for each variable ranging from 0 (any) to 5 (very high). The data were also collected for age, education, job, family size, and annual income. To investigate the effects of constructs of job empowerment on food security, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used. The results showed that the age mean of the women-headed households in rural areas was 48.28 with standard deviation of 11.55 years. Mean and standard deviation for constructs were as follows; grouping work and communication skills (2.77 ± 0.88), creativity and solving problem (3.01 ± 0.90), commitment and responsibility (3.26 ± 1.02), information and specific knowledge (2.94 ± 0.94), technical skills and operational work (3.22 ± 1.00), access (2.23 ± 0.84), availability (2.42 ± 0.80), utilization (2.69 ± 1.10) and stability (2.57 ± 0.74). The results for model-fitting showed that job empowerment and food security had a good fit for the data with fit indices (χ2/df=1.85, CFI=0.92; NFI= 0.96; RMSEA=0.032). The results show that indices are appropriate and the model has a good fit. The results showed that job empowerment could determine 57.50% of food security variance. In conclusion, this study showed that factors of grouping work and communication skills, creativity and solving problem, commitment and responsibility and information and specific knowledge had significant effects on job empowerment of female-headed households in rural areas of Iran country. With regards to the effects of the factors on empowerment, policy makers must consider policies for improving job empowerment. To improve food security and job empowerment in rural region, we suggest establishing centers by supporting institutions for education of skills and also identification of creative women for improving their abilities. We also suggest education of new information and knowledge by media and other organizations for improving job empowerment. We also suggest education of technical skills for prevention of injures and improving abilities in female-headed households in rural areas. In sum, it is recommended to consider the job empowerment for improving food security for improving food security of rural female-headed households under supervision of the Welfare Organization.
Hossein Shabanali Fami; Fatemeh Jafari; Moslem Savari; Mohammad Shokati Amghani; Mahsa Motaghed
Abstract
This research was conducted with the general purpose of investigating the effective constructs on improving the participation of rural women in promoting household food security. The statistical population of the study included all rural women in Tarom Olia (N = 10796) out of which 398 people were selected ...
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This research was conducted with the general purpose of investigating the effective constructs on improving the participation of rural women in promoting household food security. The statistical population of the study included all rural women in Tarom Olia (N = 10796) out of which 398 people were selected based on Kerjeci and Morgan sampling table and via stratified random sampling method for interviewing as the respondents. The main data gathering instrument of this study was a questionnaire. The validity of the instrument was confirmed by a panel of food safety experts and faculty members of the Department of Agricultural Management and Development in University of Tehran and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data analysis was performed in two sections of descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSSwin18 and Lisrel8.54 software. The results of the study indicated the prevalence of poor food security status, and low participation of rural women in promoting food security. The results of correlation analysis showed that economic, social and psychological constructs have a positive and significant relationship with the improvement of women's participation in promoting food security. In addition, the results of structural equation modeling showed that the (economic, social and psychological) constructs with a coefficient of 81% (γ = 0.99, t = 7.92) had a positive and significant effect on improving the participation of rural women in promoting Household food security.
Rural Development
Heshmatollah Saadi; Hajar Vahdat Moaddab
Abstract
Female heads of households are responsible for the material and spiritual needs of the families because of a deceased, missing, separated, divorced, addicted, disabled (permanent or temporary), imprisonment, ill or military deployed male head of households. Survey research was employed in the study. ...
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Female heads of households are responsible for the material and spiritual needs of the families because of a deceased, missing, separated, divorced, addicted, disabled (permanent or temporary), imprisonment, ill or military deployed male head of households. Survey research was employed in the study. The target population includes rural women heads of households Razan city. Following Cochran’s formula, a sample of 92 participants was randomly selected. After an extensive literature review, a standardized questionnaire for measure of household food insecurity was used. The questionnaire reliability which is estimated by Cronbach’s Alpha was 89.5.Findings of research indicated that food security for 25 percent of women in over and 75 percent of them are different degrees of food insecurity. So food security have significant relationship with factors such as education, the number of children under 18 years old, supervisory status, and home ownership.