In my last blog, I discussed the effects of stigma on the health and well-being of low-income, rural mothers and babies experiencing food insecurity. To end this series of blogs, I would like to introduce the idea of dignity as a guiding principle when forming and implementing policy for this demographic.
According to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, dignity is inherent to all people along with “inalienable rights.” A study in rural Oklahoma on food-insecure individuals revealed 3 overlapping areas of dignity as it relates to food insecurity: relational, individual, and institutional. Relational dignity is characterized by “symmetrical” social interactions, individual dignity refers to one’s role as a food provider and family and cultural traditions surrounding food, and institutional dignity is demonstrated through structures and policies that create equity. The study discusses dignity as having prerequisites of autonomy and freedom (taken from famous sociologist Durkheim), two aspects of experience denied to food-insecure individuals seeking aid. Autonomy entails choice, which is often difficult to obtain through food banks and other sources of charity. Mothers rely on what is available at the mercy of individuals and systems with more power than them. Freedom entails a certain level of social and economic power to be able to choose, for instance, what food mothers consume and share with their infants. Both autonomy and freedom are likely to be curtailed more severely in rural settings where services are few and far between.
So how have we lost sight of dignity in our provisions for food-insecure families? As a society, we have chosen “a political approach that favors free-market capitalism, deregulation, and reduction in government spending,” otherwise known as neoliberalism. This approach has created the impetus for major cutbacks in social spending, including welfare rates across the Global North (including Canada). According to Regilme, it also has “routinized suffering” and “extreme poverty.” In other words, neoliberalism has created a normalization of inequity and justified it by promoting the interest of capitalism and profit above human lives. To address neoliberalism would mean an overhaul of our current foundational paradigm for the economy and social policy.
One potential policy solution to the lack of dignity experienced by rural food-insecure mothers and their infants is a basic income. There’s evidence this model could work because of the results we have seen during the pandemic in low-income families because of CERB. The 2022 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Nova Scotia states that CERB is “nearly triple the monthly social assistance benefits of single parents with one child” and that in 2020, “government transfers reduced child poverty by 55.9%,” demonstrating that cash transfers work to alleviate poverty and subsequent food insecurity. Regardless of our stance on basic income, it is imperative that when considering policy changes, we remember dignity. Every person has a right to dignity.
Photo by Jhon David on Unsplash
