As quarantines and shutdowns are increasing, and rumors of curfews are spreading, and pictures of empty shops are going viral, many people are facing a real possibility of a food shortage. During such disasters, the United Nations **World Food Programme provides assistance by distributing food to the population.

However, if you are a man, especially a single man, you might find that you are out of luck. The WFP generally does not distribute food to men, and follows feminist inspired policies of women-only food aid

A real example of this practice that made headlines was the WFP response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. I’ve linked two articles below:

NBC news

CNN archive

As you’ll see, men were excluded from food distribution. The rational given is that women are “more likely to distribute food to families”. But what is a single man supposed to do? This quote from the CNN article shows this:

Prior said the WFP will work with its aid partners to ensure that men in need of assistance are not excluded. Women are receiving the food vouchers because they tend to be responsible for the household food supply, Prior said.

“Our long experience in food distribution tells us that by delivering food into the hands of women, it is more likely to be redistributed equitably among the household -- including the men," he said. Montouroy said most men have someone -- a wife, a sister, a mother or girlfriend -- who will be able to feed them. He said it was safer to deliver the rice to the women.

But things didn't sit well with some men. "What about me? I didn't get anything. I need food," said Johnny Sanon Stevenson. "Many people could not participate."

So the last paragraph, we see a single man who was left without food. And this shows the illogicality of it- why not simply give food to everyone? That way, there doesn’t even need to be distribution. And again, to a single man, or a man whose family is far away- how is he supposed to eat? The article claims men would be fed...but that obviously wasn’t happening.

It was mentioned how young men would force themselves to the front of the line and steal food:

Young men often force their way to the front of aid delivery lines or steal from it from others, meaning aid doesn't reach the neediest at rough-and-tumble distribution centers, according to aid groups.

from the NBC article...but maybe that was because they were starving after being denied food??? If men were given food too, this problem wouldn’t exist.

Looking at official documents from the WFP, we can see that this is still their official policy:

WFP gender policy

“women are more vulnerable in natural disasters”. The pretext justification for these policies that make no sense- how? If there’s no food, there’s no food. Upper body strength doesn’t magically produce food that isn’t there. Men need to eat just as much as women do.

“take gender sensitive needs into account”. This makes no sense- women’s sensitive needs are needing to eat? Men need to eat too!

heres another source, the IASC handbook, associated with the World Health Organization (WHO) and WFP

Once again, “sensitivity to men’s and women’s unique needs”. Which once again, means what? Men don’t need to be given food in times of disaster or famine? Go on and read that section, it goes to say this means “gender must be mainstreamed with consideration to vulnerability, societal roles, targeting, etc”. What does this mean? What does this look like in practice? Well...men not getting food.

Lastly, we have this story from Yemen from 2019, which shows that this is an ongoing practice.

“We will continue to distribute food to women and children”. That’s literally the sentence...it’s spelled out, men are not given food in the time of the Yemeni famine. Why not?

And of course they talk about food trucks being “blocked”....maybe once again, because men are being denied food and starving to death?

If things get really bad and food becomes scarce, it will mean something very different for men and women. Men will NOT be fed by charities or the government, and will be left to starve. This follows long engrained policies that are put into practice, and will just justified by the highest bodies/authorities