Societal Gender Dynamics and Sex-Specific Differences in the Impact of Climatic Shocks on Childhood Undernutrition: The Case of Ivory Coast

Liliana Andriano, University of Southampton
Chiara Puglisi, Department of Statistical Sciences - University of Bologna

Extensive research shows that climate change and extreme weather events significantly affect population dynamics. This paper contributes to the literature on heterogeneities in climate change’s impact on health by investigating gendered differences in undernutrition following an extreme weather event, and the influence of societal gender dynamics. Our research question stems from literature highlighting gender inequalities in parental investments following a shock in contexts characterised by son preference. In these contexts, in times of hardship, male children’s wellbeing would be prioritized over that of females, through a differential allocation of resources such as foods and healthcare, leading to poorer health for female children. This study addresses prior research gaps by investigating undernutrition inequalities following droughts in Ivory Coast. To do so, we match micro-level data on child health and data on drought shocks with ethnographic data on ancestral kinship system. We explore whether (1) drought shocks affect child nutrition and whether (2) in ancestrally patrilineal areas – where son preference is widespread – parents prioritise male children’s wellbeing over female's. Preliminary findings point to a higher probability of undernutrition in drier zones. Next steps of the analysis involve the investigation of gender-related differences in undernutrition in matrilineal and patrilineal areas.

Keywords: Gender Dynamics, Population, Environment, and Climate Change, Population, Shocks and Pandemics, Children, Adolescents, and Youth

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