How Gender Inequality and Climate Change are Interconnected
Kalina Maleska
2022
UN Women
https://rb.gy/tfxs
The climate crisis is not “gender neutral.” Gender inequality, coupled with the climate crisis,
is one of the greatest challenges of our time. It poses threats to ways of life, livelihoods,
health, safety and security for women and girls around the world. Historically, climate change
scientists, researchers and policymakers have struggled with how to make the vital
connections between gender, social equity, and climate change. Women and girls
experience the greatest impacts of climate change, which amplifies existing gender
inequalities and poses unique threats to their livelihoods, health, and safety. As more and
more data and research reveal their clear correlation, it is time to talk about the contrasting
impacts of climate change and the linkages between women’s empowerment and effective,
global climate action.
In many regions, women bear disproportionate responsibility for securing food, water,
and fuel. Agriculture is the most important employment sector for women in low- and
lower-middle income countries. During periods of drought and erratic rainfall, women, as
agricultural workers and primary procurers, work harder to secure income and resources for
their families. This puts added pressure on girls, who often have to leave school to help their
mothers manage the increased burden. They are often enlisted to take care of family
members, or to help with domestic chores such as cooking, cleaning or finding water, and
school is considered a lower priority in times of need. In addition, when girls and women are
displaced due to the climate crisis, they are often unable to continue their education and
pursue economic opportunities. A study conducted by McCarthy (2019) asserts that
migrated girls are half as likely to be in school as migrated boys.
Climate change is recognized as a serious aggravator of gender-based violence in fragile
and conflict-affected settings. As climate change drives conflict across the world, women and
girls face increased vulnerabilities to all forms of gender-based violence, including
conflict-related sexual violence, human trafficking, child marriage, and other forms of
violence. Research indicates that women and girls are up to 14 times more likely to be
harmed during a disaster. For those who survive, climate-induced disasters can amplify
gender inequalities, making them more vulnerable to gender-based violence (GBV), even
when life for others may go back to normal. From an Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
perspective, this often stems from stress due to financial concerns, disaster-trauma,
heightened mental health issues, increased substance use (e.g. alcohol, illegal drugs), etc.
When disasters strike, women are less likely to survive and more likely to be injured due to
long-standing gender inequalities that have created disparities in information, mobility and
decision-making. In the aftermath, women and girls are less able to access relief and
assistance, further threatening their wellbeing and recovery, and creating a vicious cycle of
vulnerability to future disasters.
Women’s and girls’ health are endangered by climate change and disasters by limiting
access to services and health care, as well as increasing risks related to maternal and child
health. Research indicates that extreme heat increases incidence of stillbirth, and climate
change is increasing the spread of vector-borne illnesses such as malaria, dengue fever,
and Zika virus, which are fatal to mothers and newborn babies.
Women and girls may experience the impacts of climate change differently because of other
preconditions like age, physical disability, geographical location and so on. Thus, the effect of
climate change is not the same for all women. Looking at climate change through the lens of
intersectional feminism, the way in which various forms of inequality often operate together
and worsen each other, it is clear that climate change risks are acute for indigenous women
and girls, older women, women and girls with disabilities, migrant women, and those living in
rural, remote, conflict and disaster-prone areas.
“If you are invisible in everyday life, your needs will not be thought of, let alone addressed, in
a crisis situation,” says Matcha Phorn-In, a feminist human-rights defender who works to
empower stateless and landless indigenous women and girls in Thailand’s Chiang Mai, Mae
Hong Son, and Tak provinces. “Humanitarian programmes tend to reinforce the patriarchal
structure of society if they do not take into account gender diversity,” Phorn-in explains. She
also emphasises that in order to bring structural reformation, we need to focus on working
towards equality of all kinds. (Edited)
Questions
1. Write a summary of the text titled “How Gender Inequality and Climate Change are
Interconnected.”
2. Write an Opinion Paragraph on the topic below. Use at least one relevant evidence from
the given text to support your reasons with appropriate in-text citations.
“Women are the main victims of climate change”