Ueda Haruka
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Nagoya University, Furo Cho, Chikusa District, Aichi Prefecture 464-0814 Japan.
Food Ethics. 2023;8(2):13. doi: 10.1007/s41055-023-00123-9. Epub 2023 Jun 6.
The objective of this article is to gain an in-depth understanding of the eating lives of low-income single mothers in Japan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine low-income single mothers living in the three largest urban areas (Tokyo, Hanshin [Osaka and Kobe] and Nagoya) in Japan. Framed by the capability approach and sociology of food, their dietary norms and practices, as well as underlying factors that impact the norm-practice gap were analysed across nine dimensions: meal frequency, place of eating, meal timing, duration, persons to eat with, procurement method, food quality, meal content and pleasure of eating. These mothers were deprived of various types of capabilities, extending not only from the quantity and nutritional aspects of food, but also to spatial, temporal, qualitative and affective aspects. Aside from financial constraints, eight other factors (time, maternal health, parenting difficulties, children's tastes, gendered norms, cooking abilities, food aid and local food environment) were identified as influencing their capabilities to eat well. The findings challenge the view that food poverty is the deprivation of economic resources required to ensure a sufficient amount of food. Social interventions that go beyond monetary aid and food provision need to be proposed.
本文的目的是深入了解日本低收入单身母亲的饮食生活。对居住在日本三大城市地区（东京、阪神[大阪和神户]以及名古屋）的九位低收入单身母亲进行了半结构化访谈。以能力方法和食物社会学为框架，从用餐频率、用餐地点、用餐时间、用餐时长、一起用餐的人、采购方式、食物质量、餐食内容和用餐愉悦感这九个维度，分析了她们的饮食规范和习惯，以及影响规范与习惯差距的潜在因素。这些母亲被剥夺了各种能力，不仅体现在食物的数量和营养方面，还延伸到空间、时间、质量和情感方面。除了经济限制外，还确定了其他八个因素（时间、母亲健康、育儿困难、孩子的口味、性别规范、烹饪能力、食品援助和当地食物环境）影响她们良好饮食的能力。研究结果挑战了食物贫困是指缺乏确保足够食物所需经济资源的观点。需要提出超越金钱援助和食物供应的社会干预措施。
