Undernutrition in Sub‐Saharan Africa: Is there a gender bias?

Several studies have demonstrated inferior anthropometric status and higher mortality of girls than of boys in South Asia. This article shows the anthropometric status of females in Sub‐Saharan Africa to be at par with or even better than that of males. The findings corroborate Boserup's theory that a different organisation of agriculture gives rise to a different division of labour and a different evaluation of female and male children. In Sub‐Saharan Africa, where female labour participation in the agricultural sector is comparatively high, polygamy, bride‐wealth and early marriage of females are predominant customs, and the nutritional and health status of females vis‐a‐vis males is favourable.