The Effect of Gendered Power Relations on Food Production among Female-headed Households in Mbarara District, Southwestern Uganda

Gendered power relations refer to the way males and females exercise influence at the household level in terms of decision-making, planning, resource utilization and executing family affairs from time to time(Agarwal, 1997; Manser & Brown, 1979). These relations define how females and males interrelate while taking steps to handle issues of managing and utilizing resources as well as handling overall family welfare at the household level(Bohren et al., 2024; Weeratunge et al., 2016). Drawing from the traditional African society perspective, gendered power relations are that aspect that defines family norms, roles and values (Heise et al., 2019; Ponthieux & Meurs, 2015). Gender power relations influence food production in many developing countries, as land which is a major factor of production is largely seen and viewed as a preserve of men to control(Croppenstedt et al., 2013; Rao, 2006). The situation is even more complex among female-headed households, where despite females being household heads, society seems not to trust them with the absolute power they deserve to manage and utilize resources for food production(Agarwal, 1997; Fonjong et al., 2013). This puts the female heads of these households in a more vulnerable state as well as their families (Yoosefi Lebni et al., 2020). In effect, their livelihoods are affected as manifested in terms of inadequate household income, food insecurity, health status, as well as compromised psychological well-being (Myers, 2020; Yoosefi Lebni et al., 2020).