Food Security, Gender, and Occupational Choice among Urban Low-Income Households

SummaryThis paper examines an adaptive strategy using occupational choice that can be undertaken by household members in urban poor areas to help ensure their access to food. Our investigation focuses on self-employed women and men in 14 predominantly slum communities in Bolivia, Ecuador, Philippines, and Thailand. Results of our empirical analysis show that choice of business is associated with household vulnerability to food insecurity, with women in vulnerable households likely to engage in food enterprises. The findings suggest that urban low-income households can mitigate the risk of food shortage through the selection of an enterprise activity that earns money income and is a direct source of food for consumption.