Analogous to the water-diamond paradox, women spend more time doing unpaid household work including child-care and cooking. Social and cultural norms prevent them from asking the males in the household to help out in the domestic work, specially in the rural areas. The household dynamics might not even allow them to cook according to their own preference. Typically, in India, they are also the last to eat in the household.
Given this context, it becomes vital to increase their awareness and education levels. The importance of the first thousand days in a child's life and diet diversity needs to be stressed. Empowering the women is the only way forward to tackling the inter-generational aspect of malnutrition.
Г-жа Priya Rampal