Changes in women?s empowerment in the household, women?s diet diversity, and their relationship against the background of COVID-19 in southern Bangladesh

The COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, associated public health measures, and people's re-actions were projected to have caused job losses among women, a decline in women's empow-erment and reduced women's diet diversity. Using a November 2020 telephone survey to re -interview adult female respondents of a November 2019 in-person survey, contrary to expecta-tions we find that more women found than lost jobs, and women's diet diversity increased over the year partly marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. We did not find evidence of a decline in women's involvement in food purchase decisions, nor women's autonomy over use of household income. The change in women's outside employment is neither statistically related to changes in women's involvement in food purchase decisions, changes women's autonomy over use of household income, nor changes in women's diet diversity. Change in women's involvement in food purchase decisions is positively related with change in women's diet diversity and change in women's autonomy over income use is negatively related with change in women's diet diversity.

Automated summary

The COVID-19 pandemic and related measures in Bangladesh were expected to cause job losses, reduced empowerment, and decreased diet diversity among women. However, a telephone survey conducted in November 2020 revealed that more women found jobs, and their diet diversity increased during the pandemic. There was no evidence of a decline in women's involvement in food purchase decisions or their autonomy over household income use. Changes in women's outside employment were not statistically related to changes in their involvement in food purchase decisions, autonomy over income use, or diet diversity.