Shweta Tyagi |Chief Functionary | India Water Foundation
Almost 17% of the climate change disasters registered worldwide have been occurring in South East Asia. Asian women suffer disproportionate levels of mortality and injury following disasters, direct result of recurrent discrimination and inequalities in access to adequate health care, food and nutrition, water and sanitation, education, technology and information. Climate change is seen as a factor contributing to perpetuate gender inequalities. Poor, rural and indigenous women depend on natural resources for their livelihoods and are disproportionately affected by climate change. Human induced climate change is having a profound impact on natural ecosystems. Women’s livelihoods are threatened by reduced crop, forest yields and acidification of the oceans. Gender equality is critical to mitigate climate impacts, women’s inclusion in climate discussions lead to improved outcomes of climate related projects and policies.
These risks are set to increase into the future and have the potential to limit the effectiveness of development efforts. Impacts may include coastal erosion, food insecurity, increased flooding, enhanced prevalence of diseases, dwindling water resources and loss of biodiversity, including Vulnerability to climate change is socially differentiated; that is, the causes of women and men’s vulnerability to climate change are many and varied. Gender intersects with social, cultural and economic inequalities to create this vulnerability. In many parts of the world, women’s unequal access to resources, education, legal protection, decision-making and power make them more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. For example, lower levels of education and literacy of some women can limit their ability to access important information and support in order to prepare for disasters or adapt to longer-term climate change.
In their multiple roles as food producers and providers, as guardians of health, and as caregivers, climate related hazards such as drought and erratic rainfall can further burden women. As climate change may increase women’s work loads, girls may be withdrawn from school in order to carry out extra household tasks. Lack of education can further intensify their long term vulnerability. Cultural stigmas in some places can mean that women are not taught life saving skills like how to swim and climb trees. This can leave women more vulnerable during a flood as these survival skills are traditionally only taught to men. More floods due to climate change may mean even higher fatalities of women and girls unless this gender sensitive vulnerability is addressed. As natural disasters become more frequent, the number of women in displacement camps may increase. Women in such camps, especially women living alone, are vulnerable to sexual violence. Limited access to and understanding of information and influence on decision making processes limit the capacity of women to prepare and respond to adverse impacts of climate change. Women and girls are at risk for sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies due to sexual assault in times of emergency. Lack of health infrastructure can mean they can’t access adequate medical treatment or reproductive health options.
The Resilience of Women
In 80% of households the burden of water collection forces young girls and women to travel long distances to meet household water needs exposing them to safety risks and violence, limiting their time for other activities like paid work and education. Poor sanitation and hygiene facilities also expose them to illness. They play a central role in provision, managing and safeguarding the household water and sanitation. Addressing water and sanitation needs of women benefits the health and well being of the entire community and also in achieving of SDGs and specifically SDG5.
While it is evident that some women will be more vulnerable to climate change, it is also important to note that women are key actors in implementing positive change. Experience shows us that when equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help their families and entire communities prepare for disasters and the negative impacts of climate change. Women have a strong body of knowledge and expertise that can be used to address the implications of climate change. The skills, experience, and capacities of women need to be harnessed alongside those of men by those implementing ‘climate smart’ disaster risk reduction programs. Of course men can also be champions for gender equality and promote the inclusion of women in key decision making processes. Male champions of gender equality work across many sectors to promote behavioural change. Remember it is important to consider that women are not a homogenous group; marital status, age and economic status can influence their particular needs and interests. Minimum standards for local climate-smart and gender sensitive disaster risk reduction Programs that include gender, respond better to men and women’s needs – climate smart programs are no different. Such programs can recognize the differential impacts of climate change on men and women, identify the issues and structures that can result in women’s disempowerment and transform disadvantage.
Need of a paradigm shift
Women and men are asked to reflect on changes they may be observing and how these changes may be positive or negative. Raise awareness in communities on how a changing climate may affect men and women’s livelihoods in the short, medium and long-term. Consider how men and women, boys and girls, receive and understand weather information and ensure that all have knowledge of what actions they can take to prepare based on this information. Encourage female staff to join in community trainings – women often feel more comfortable talking to women. Enable equal distribution of information through identifying gender appropriate channels. Include men and women in climate field schools so that both men and women know how to apply seasonal forecast information to their needs and contexts. Understanding gendered divisions of labour (eg. who collects water, who is responsible for preparing communities, who manages money, who makes decisions, who manages food and water, who provides care for the sick) helps to understand various challenges faced by men and women in communities. It can then help determine who has knowledge of various changes occurring in their environment, the impacts of these and solutions to them. Encourage men and women to be meaningfully involved in decision making processes. Collect gender disaggregated data during monitoring and evaluation. Use this time to reflect on whether the various needs, knowledge and capacities of men and women have been harnessed in implementation. Both women and men have the opportunity to share their challenges and needs with climate related stakeholders.
When planning, consider the implications of climate change for various groups in society, including men and boys, women and girls. Recruit men and women as staff and volunteers. Gender mainstreaming responsibilities should be included in the position descriptions of all team members. We should develop an understanding of gender specific aspects of climate change by ensuring that women and men’s access to and understanding of early warning information is considered – remember that women are often more risk averse than men and may take action sooner rather than later in an impending disaster. When documenting the humanitarian implications of climate change for reports, participation and representation of both men and women should be ensured. In addition, considering the implications of climate change for various groups in society, information collected about gender specific impacts to highlight the humanitarian consequences of climate change not only highlight men and women’s vulnerabilities – but also their capacities to adapt.
There is a need to develop gender sensitive/ gender responsive policies and programmes to address the economic, physical and political autonomy. They should be specifically included in the planning, development, management and implementation of policies and programmes to address autonomy in decision making. Policy makers should be guided by the multiple and compounding forms of discrimination experienced by women to incorporate a broad range of human rights and gender considerations in mitigating climate change and building climate resilience. Create the conditions to ensure full, equal and meaningful participation of women with diverse backgrounds in disaster risk reduction and climate change mitigation and adaptation at all levels. Assurance of overarching women’s rights to land, natural and financial resources, services and income can finally lead to equity.
