International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated every March the 8th. This celebration appears as the appreciation for every fight a woman has ever experienced without any ethnic, culture, or religion differences as boundaries. 2023 International women’s day is raising a theme related to “DigitAll: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality”. Digital technology has opened a new world for women empowerment. Through digital technology, women can explore the world and access every information to expand their knowledge.
The fact is, digital technology is still not very friendly towards women. Value of gender equality still needs to be vocally sounded. Discrimination is still often found to happen to women, even in the digital world. There are so many women that experience cyber bullying that makes them feel uncomfortable about their body shape. Women are always being oppressed to be perfect, based on society standards. It is not a rare case to witness women who try to achieve their ideal body shape, even with an extreme and hazardous diet. An unsafe diet is pretty normal to be executed by women.
In the research published by Maternal and Child Nutrition, women often perform a severe diet before marriage or even during pregnancy that can increase the risk of several diseases, including infection. During the tight diet execution, women will lack nutrition intake or even intentionally avoid certain types of nutrition. These phenomena can cause serious impact to the nutrition status of the women and as well as their future kids.
The worries from the woman towards their body shape can contribute to the increasing nutrition status problem that hasn’t been solved until now. If this behavior continues, the problems related to undernutrition such as stunting, early mortality in mother and infant, anemia in productive era, and malnutrition will never be solved.
Women as the foundation of a country, the quality of women of a country can reflect the quality of the country itself. According to the crucial role of women, it is important to pay more attention to women especially related to their nutrition status. The fulfillment of nutrition in women must be optimized. This is because women have to deliver the next generation of the country. The provision of nutrition education also has to be provided for women, especially female adolescents. The understanding and mindset as well as the society standard have to be straightened up. Healthy body and good nutritional status are two things that can only be achieved together, not only to be able to be “thin” together.
Therefore, we have to work hand in hand to support gender equality and women welfare. One of the ways is to execute education and nutrition fulfillment that is optimum for women. By fulfilling a good nutrition status for women, a qualified generation of the country will also be delivered and make a positive contribution for the growth of Indonesia. Come, achieve wonderful Indonesia through nutrition fulfillment, nutrition for women, and nutrition for the nation!
Author : Arvina Tria Nitami