What the study found
Household food expenditure in Türkiye appears to be a systemic outcome shaped by several factors, including income, education, employment stability, savings capacity, asset ownership, and gender. The study finds that female-headed households, especially those living alone and facing limited education and unstable employment, have a substantially higher probability of spending a large share of their budget on food.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that these findings are consistent with Engel’s law, which links lower household resources with a higher share of spending on food. The study suggests that food security policy should address employment stability, human capital, and access to productive assets alongside income support.
What the researchers tested
The researchers analyzed microdata from Türkiye’s 2018 Household Budget Survey. They used a two-stage framework that combined Artificial Neural Networks, a machine-learning method for finding non-linear relationships, and a Tree-Augmented Bayesian Network, a probabilistic model used for counterfactual ‘what-if’ simulations.
What worked and what didn't
In the first stage, the analysis identified non-linear relationships among household characteristics and the most influential determinants of food expenditure shares. In the second stage, the probabilistic system model supported counterfactual simulations; the abstract reports that female-headed households, especially those with low education and unstable employment, had a substantially higher probability of devoting a large share of their budget to food.
What to keep in mind
The available abstract does not describe detailed limitations or the full range of model assumptions. The findings are based on 2018 Household Budget Survey microdata from Türkiye, so the scope is limited to that setting and time period.
Key points
- Household food expenditure in Türkiye is presented as a systemic outcome shaped by multiple household factors.
- Female-headed households have a substantially higher probability of spending a large share of their budget on food.
- Limited education and unstable employment are linked in the abstract to higher food-budget shares among female-headed households.
- The analysis used 2018 Household Budget Survey microdata from Türkiye.
- The study suggests food security policy should also consider employment stability, human capital, and productive assets.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Gender shapes household food spending in Türkiye
- Authors:
- Burak Öztornacı, Şule Önsel Ekici, Ilker Topcu
- Institutions:
- Cukurova University, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul University, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-27
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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