Identifying the Dimensions of Empowerment and Their Impacts on Food Security in Rural Women

The present study was conducted to identify the empowerment dimensions of female-headed households in rural areas and their effects on food security in Iran. Based on the data collected from the Iranian Statistical Center, the population of rural women-headed households of Tehran Province included ۴۹۵ individuals, from which ۲۱۶ were selected using the stratified random sampling method with proportional allocation. A questionnaire was designed by researchers and its validity and reliability was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach method, respectively. The data were collected from November ۲۰۲۰ to July ۲۰۲۱. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze and estimate the relationships among multiple variables. The results confirmed the dimensions of empowerment as grouping work and communication skills, creativity and solving problem, commitment and responsibility, information and specific knowledge, technical skills and operational work, including psychological, social, political, economic, managerial, and educational factors and their effects on food security. The highest effects on food security belonged to commitment and responsibility, economic factors, and grouping work, respectively. Job empowerment predicted ۷۵% variance in food security. It is suggested to consider job empowerment of female-headed households in rural areas to decrease food insecurity.

کلیدواژه ها:

Female-headed households ، Gender and food security ، Social and economic empowerment