Reproduction of gender inequality in AFNs, particularly at
the level of consumption, has often been left empirically
unexamined, however. This is problematic given that
women continue to be predominantly responsible for food
provisioning in the US, and that this responsibility can lead
to negative physical, psychological and social outcomes.
Using quantitative methods and data from the 2012 Ohio
Survey of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Issues,
this paper examines the extent to which gender inequality
in the division of labor is reproduced in AFNs by focusing
on the potential persistence of gender inequality in food
provisioning among AFN participants. Findings suggest
that among AFN participants, particularly those utilizing
local food systems, women, compared to men, remain
predominantly responsible for food provisioning, spend
more time in food provisioning, and engage in more food
provisioning from scratch. This research confirms that food
provisioning remains a gendered act amongst AFN participants, calling attention to the persistence of gender
inequality in AFNs. The paper concludes by suggesting
that AFNs are positioned as a place to create change, albeit
small scale, in the gendered division of household labor in
the US, and provides some practical suggestions for how
this might occur.