Presentation by Hazel Malapit (IFPRI) at "A Learning Event for the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index," held November 21, 2013 in Washington DC.

1. PRELIMINARY
WEAI Baseline Results
Hazel Malapit, IFPRI
WEAI Learning Event, Washington, DC, November 21, 2013

2. Overview
Compare WEAI and FTF indicators across 13 countries
• Factors that might affect empowerment:
– Poverty
– Income
– Education
• Outcomes that might result from empowerment:
– Household level indicators: household hunger score
– Mother indicators: women’s dietary diversity score
– Mother behavior: minimum acceptable diet, exclusive
breastfeeding
– Child indicators: wasting, stunting, underweight

3. WEAI Scores
Country
Region
WEAI Score
Ranking
Bangladesh
Asia
0.66
Low
Cambodia
Asia
0.98
High
Nepal
Asia
0.80
Medium
Tajikistan
Asia
0.69
Low
Haiti
Latin America & Caribbean
0.85
High
Honduras
Latin America & Caribbean
0.75
Medium
Kenya
East Africa
0.72
Low
Rwanda
East Africa
0.91
High
Uganda
East Africa
0.86
High
Ghana
West Africa
0.72
Low
Liberia
West Africa
0.69
Low
Malawi
Southern Africa
0.84
Medium
Zambia
Southern Africa
0.80
Medium

4. Disempowerment scores
for women
(1 – 5DE)
0.00
Disempowerment Index (1 - 5DE)
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
0.35
0.40

5. Poverty
Less than $1.25/day, per capita PPP (USD)
1.00
CAMBODIA
0.95
RWANDA
0.90
WEAI Score
0.85
UGANDA
HAITI*
MALAWI
NEPAL
0.80
0.75
ZAMBIA
HONDURAS
TAJIKISTAN
KENYA
GHANA
0.70
LIBERIA
BANGLADESH
0.65
0.60
0
10
20
30
40
50
Population living on less than $1.25/day, %
Legend:
60
70
80

6. Income
Per capita expenditure, USD
1.00
CAMBODIA
0.95
RWANDA
0.90
UGANDA
WEAI Score
0.85
HAITI
MALAWI
NEPAL
0.80
ZAMBIA
0.75
HONDURAS
GHANA
KENYA
0.70
TAJIKISTAN
LIBERIA
BANGLADESH
0.65
0.60
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
per capita expenditure, USD
Legend:
3.50
4.00
4.50

7. Education
Highest household achievement
Primary or no education
Secondary education
1.00
1.00
CAMBODIA
CAMBODIA
0.95
0.95
RWANDA
0.90
0.80
0.85
MALAWI
ZAMBIA
WEAI Score
WEAI Score
0.85
NEPAL
0.75
MALAWI
0.80
NEPAL
ZAMBIA
0.75
KENYA
GHANA
0.70
KENYA
GHANA
0.70
BANGLADESH
0.65
0.60
BANGLADESH
0.65
0.60
55
65
75
85
95
None or primary education as highest level, %
Legend:
RWANDA
0.90
0
10
20
30
40
Secondary education as highest level, %
50

8. Household hunger scale
Households experiencing moderate or severe hunger (score of 2 - 6)
Prevalence of households with moderate or severe hunger, %
70
60
BANGLADESH*
KENYA
50
HAITI
RWANDA
40
LIBERIA
MALAWI
GHANA
30
ZAMBIA
UGANDA
20
TAJIKISTAN
NEPAL
10
HONDURAS
CAMBODIA
0
0.60
0.65
0.70
0.75
0.80
WEAI Score
Legend:
*Households with less than
2,122 and 1,805 kcal/person/day
0.85
0.90
0.95
1.00

9. Household hunger scale
Comparison of empowered versus not yet empowered women
60
Legend: Empowered women; Not yet empowered women
* Indicates statistically significant difference at 0.05 level
55
50
45
Prevalence, %
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
TAJIKISTAN
RWANDA*
UGANDA
MALAWI
ZAMBIA

10. Women’s Dietary Diversity
Mean number of food groups consumed
(score 1-9)
4.5
5.0
Legend: Empowered women; Not yet empowered women
* Indicates statistically significant difference at 0.05 level
4
CAMBODIA
4.5
TAJIKISTAN
4.0
ZAMBIA
NEPAL
GHANA
3
HAITI
Dietary Diversity Score
Dietary Diversity Score
3.5
UGANDA
3.5
HONDURAS
MALAWI
RWANDA*
3.0
2.5
2
1.5
KENYA*
2.5
1
0.5
2.0
0.65
0.70
0.75
0.80
0.85
0.90
0.95
WEAI Score
1.00
0
TAJIKISTAN RWANDA*
Legend:
* Indicates statistically
significant difference at 0.05 level
UGANDA
MALAWI
ZAMBIA

11. Exclusive breastfeeding
Children < 6 months exclusively breastfed
100
90
RWANDA
Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding, %
80
HONDURAS
NEPAL
70
GHANA
CAMBODIA
MALAWI
60
UGANDA
KENYA
50
BANGLADESH
40
TAJIKISTAN
30
ZAMBIA
HAITI
20
10
LIBERIA
0
0.60
Legend:
0.65
0.70
0.75
0.80
WEAI Score
0.85
0.90
0.95
1.00

12. Minimum Acceptable Diet
Children 6-23 months receiving MAD
50
HONDURAS
Children achieving minimum acceptable diet, %
45
40
CAMBODIA
35
30
25
NEPAL
20
MALAWI
ZAMBIA
GHANA
15
UGANDA
RWANDA
BANGLADESH
HAITI
10
TAJIKISTAN
KENYA
5
LIBERIA
0
0.60
0.65
0.70
0.75
0.80
WEAI Score
Legend:
0.85
0.90
0.95
1.00

13. Child Wasting
< 5 years with moderate and severe wasting
(weight-for-height)
20
Prevalence of children with wasting, %
KENYA
15
NEPAL
HAITI
GHANA
CAMBODIA
10
MALAWI
UGANDA
TAJIKISTAN
5
RWANDA
ZAMBIA
LIBERIA
HONDURAS
0
0.65
0.70
0.75
0.80
0.85
WEAI Score
Legend:
0.90
0.95
1.00

14. Child Stunting
< 5 years with moderate and severe stunting
(height-for-age)
70
MALAWI
RWANDA
Prevalence of children with stunting, %
ZAMBIA
NEPAL
60
50
UGANDA
CAMBODIA
KENYA
LIBERIA
HONDURAS
40
GHANA
TAJIKISTAN
30
HAITI
20
0.65
0.70
0.75
0.80
0.85
WEAI Score
Legend:
0.90
0.95
1.00

15. Children Underweight
< 5 years moderately and severely underweight
(weight-for-age)
45
NEPAL
Prevalence of underweight children, %
40
35
30
CAMBODIA
25
KENYA
20
GHANA
MALAWI
UGANDA
ZAMBIA
15
RWANDA
LIBERIA
10
TAJIKISTAN
HAITI
HONDURAS
5
0.65
0.70
0.75
0.80
0.85
WEAI Score
Legend:
0.90
0.95
1.00

16. Child Stunting, Wasting, & Underweight
Comparison of empowered and not yet empowered women
Wasting
Stunting
9
50
8
45
16
14
40
7
12
35
6
Prevalence, %
Underweight
10
30
5
25
8
4
20
3
6
15
4
2
10
1
2
5
0
0
ZAMBIA
UGANDA
TAJIKISTAN
Legend: Empowered women; Not yet empowered women
* Indicates statistically significant difference at 0.05 level
0
TAJIKISTAN
UGANDA
ZAMBIA
TAJIKISTAN
ZAMBIA
UGANDA

17. Summary
• WEAI scores associated with income (-) and
education (primary [-], secondary [+])
• Strongest associations between WEAI and the
hunger score and diet quality indicators
• Unclear relationships between WEAI and
children’s nutritional status
• Women’s empowerment is only one piece of
the puzzle – other intervening factors are
likely to influence the desired outcomes

18. Any questions? Contact:
Hazel Malapit: h.malapit@cgiar.org
WEAI Resource Center:
http://www.ifpri.org/book9075/ourwork/program/weai-resource-center