ABSTRACT During the last decades, the focus of food and nutrition security research has shifted from issues of macro-level availability to problems of unequal access, and distribution within the household. Little systematic attention has however been paid to the role of family systems in household food allocation processes. This study focuses on the extent to which family relations, and particularly gender roles, in two Himalayan communities with different family systems influence intra-household food allocation, and the subsequent nutritional status of women of reproductive age (15–49). In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 Buddhist and 15 Hindu women, the latter belonging either to the higher Chhetri or lower Dalit castes. Additionally, anthropometric data of women were collected. Results show that women from Hindu families were worse off than women from Buddhist households in terms of nutritional status, which is due to different intra-household allocation patterns. Secondly, women's nutritional status varied over the reproductive life course. Women were most vulnerable during menses, pregnancy, and the post-partum period. Comparison with research conducted in the 1980s in this area suggests that the influence of family-level values and practices on women's nutritional status is slowly changing.

中文翻译：

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家庭，性别和妇女的营养状况：尼泊尔两个喜马拉雅社区的比较

摘要在过去的几十年中，粮食和营养安全研究的重点已从宏观层面的问题转变为获取机会不平等以及家庭内部分配问题。然而，很少有系统的关注家庭系统在家庭食物分配过程中的作用。这项研究的重点是两个具有不同家庭制度的喜马拉雅社区中的家庭关系，尤其是性别角色，对家庭内部食物分配的影响程度，以及随后生育年龄妇女的营养状况（15-49）。对15名佛教徒和15名印度教妇女进行了深入采访，后者属于高级Chhetri或较低的Dalit种姓。此外，还收集了妇女的人体测量数据。结果表明，由于家庭内部分配方式的不同，印度教家庭妇女的营养状况要比佛教家庭妇女差。其次，妇女在整个生殖生活过程中的营养状况各不相同。在月经，怀孕和产后期间，妇女最容易受到伤害。与1980年代在该领域进行的研究比较表明，家庭水平的价值观和习俗对妇女营养状况的影响正在缓慢变化。