ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how findings from the study show the interrelationships between food, gender, and power. It suggests that the poor-quality food available through the Public Distribution System was a symbol of underprivileged people's social status. The chapter argues that a similar analogy could be made with regard to health care: Chanda Nagar women felt that they were getting lesser quality care if services were geared to the poor; thus, if at all possible, people chose to use private clinics. Looking at the social context of food behaviors, it was particularly interested in how power and gender relations intersected. The chapter argues that women's autonomy in dietary behaviors was directly related to their abilities to make independent decisions regarding food purchases. It examines whether intrahousehold food distribution varied during pregnancy through women's reports on the appropriate amount that pregnant women should eat.
