Black women are the most affected by hunger in Brazil
Households headed by black women in Brazil’s North and Northeast regions are the most affected by severe food insecurity. The data can be found in the study As faces da desigualdade: raça, sexo e alimentação no Brasil (2017–2023) – “The Faces of Inequality: Race, Gender, and Food in Brazil (2017–2023)” – by Veruska Prado and Rute Costa.
“Being a black woman has come to mean greater exposure to food-related inequalities and injustices,” the authors state. The publication is sponsored by the human rights organization Fian Brasil.
According to the study, households with the highest prevalence of food insecurity are led by black women (38.5%), followed by black men (28.9%), white women (22.2%), and finally white men (15.7%).
The study indicates that homes headed by women who self-identify as black also experienced worse food insecurity in all regions of Brazil, but most severely in the North and Northeast. In these regions, nearly half of the households led by black women experienced some degree of food insecurity – 46.3 and 45.7 percent respectively.
“The prevalence of hunger among households headed by black women in formal employment is the same as the one found in households headed by white men in informal employment,” the authors report.
Findings also include:
- The South, Southeast, and Central-West regions have better food security indicators, especially among households headed by white people;
- The North and Northeast have the worst indicators – particularly among households headed by black people and, in particular, black women;
- Food insecurity is more common in rural areas than in urban areas, reinforcing the need for specific policies for rural areas.
“Participation in the formal labor market and the type of occupation strongly influence the food security situation of households,” the text reads.
Employers
However, differences by race were also observed among households headed by individuals who reported being “employers.” Here, households led by self-identified white individuals had slightly higher rates of food security than those headed by black individuals.
“A list of food security rates from highest to lowest within this group goes as follows – households headed by white women (95.2%), white men (93.8%), black women (89.4%), and black men (89%),” the survey notes.
According to Rute Costa, structures of oppression, beyond just access to food, interfere with how people are able to live their lives with quality and health.
“Food security is sensitive to social policies. During periods of increased investment, the data show a significant change. The revival of the National Council for Food and Nutritional Security (CONSEA) and the strengthening of [cash transfer program] Bolsa Família in 2023 are signs that we truly need public policies to promote social change,” said Rute Costa, adjunct professor at the Institute of Food and Nutrition at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).
The study focused on the period immediately preceding the United Nations’ announcement that Brazil had been once again removed from the Hunger Map in 2025.
