The gender data gap persists. While studies and indices provide information on gender inequalities and on food insecurity, there is no quantitative measure that directly looks at hunger and disempowerment. In an effort to close this gender data gap, and support efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals 2 (End hunger) and 5 (Achieve gender equality), the World Food Programme (WFP) and Gallup Inc, with statistical contributions from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), have collaborated to develop the ‘Gender Equality for Food Security’ (GE4FS) measure.

In addition to the pooled data, the report presents the detailed analyses of the data for each of the 17 surveyed countries. The country-level data indicate that gender significantly influences an 11 person’s experiences of empowerment. The data also indicate that experiences of impact are impacted by age, education and location. What is evident from the pooled and country-level data is that hunger cannot be reduced or eliminated solely through the provision of adequate food. Rather, the multiple dimensions of empowerment – the factors experienced by individuals that establish equality – need to be understood and addressed.