Why we need gender-sensitive disaster planning
At present, issues leading to global warming and climate change have arguably become a global priority. Scholars today recognise various vulnerable populations and claim that the impacts of climate change are not spread equally in terms of location, economic status, gender or age. Several studies on the impacts of climate change have identified Bangladesh as one of the most vulnerable countries of the world. Bangladesh faces different natural disasters almost every year, including floods/flash floods, cyclones, storm surges, extreme temperature and drought leading to loss of life and damage to infrastructure and adversely impacting livelihoods. Bangladesh is among the countries most vulnerable to tropical cyclones, and the sixth most vulnerable country to floods. Its citizens are vulnerable to the hostile effects of natural disasters as most of the primary livelihood opportunities are dependent on environmental conditions and access to natural resources.
However, women and men experience disasters differently due to some social and cultural reasons and existing gender norms. Natural disasters magnify the existing inequalities, reinforcing the disparity between women and men in their vulnerability to, and capability to cope with, a disaster. In Bangladesh, women are more vulnerable because of gender disparities in different social, economic and political institutions. Poor women are more likely to die or suffer fatal and non-fatal injuries. During the last few disasters in Bangladesh, it was found that the death rate for women was almost five times higher than for men. Women and girls tend to have less access to, or control over, assets including the resources necessary to cope with natural disasters, such as information, education, health, and wealth. And it is inequities endured on a daily basis—not just in times of disaster—that create greater risk for them and reduce their life chances.
It is often stated by different disaster reports that during the natural disaster, men were able to warn each other as they met in public spaces, but they rarely communicated information to the rest of the family. Some aid agencies reported that in Bangladesh the disproportionate number of female deaths is due in large part to the social norm that women should not leave their house without permission from their husbands. Many children and women die because the men weren't at home to permit them to leave the house and they wait for their relatives to return home and take them to a safe place. It is also evident that due to social restrictions women have very limited access to opportunities to learn to swim or climb trees—skills that may be necessary to rescue themselves in the event of a disaster. Moreover, the society accepts that the female role in a community is to remain at home to perform domestic duties and take care of children, the elderly and others in the family, livestock, food and other assets. Being the primary caretakers (or caregivers) of the family, women stay behind in times of disasters, instead of running to safety. In general, women often have limited access to healthcare, education or other skill-building exercises, which causes them to suffer more during disasters.
Besides the immediate impacts of a disaster, it is often the post-disaster recovery phase that exposes women to even greater gender-based risks. Based on evidence gathered from the last few disasters in Bangladesh, it is apparent that women and adolescent girls in shelters and camps for displaced persons suffer from sexual and gender-based violence, which includes physical, mental and emotional violence committed due to the gender of the victim. Women are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse and trafficking. Also, post-disaster impacts aggravate the cases of gender-based violence, domestic violence, forced and early marriages. The traditional division of roles tends to intensify more the daily workload of women. Hence, natural disasters add an extra burden on top of existing problems in Bangladesh, with women on the receiving end.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007) reports that, whether in developing or developed countries, there is evidence to suggest that women are more likely to die as a result of disasters, and if they survive, they suffer more than men in their aftermath. Over the last decade, awareness of climate change and its impacts has risen dramatically but some key areas have been missing from the debate. The gender aspect, for Bangladesh, is one of them. It is imperative that the impacts of natural disasters on women are reviewed in detail. Particularly the single women, female-headed households, women with disabilities and older women, as well as adolescent girls, are in need of greater attention.
The government of Bangladesh passed a climate change strategy in 2009 with action plans, and the National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) was also developed to further advance climate-friendly development and adaptation measures. But until now, initiatives on climate change lack gender sensitivity. Women have had little chance to express their needs and opinions and get involved in climate-related decision-making. It is evident that women are not included adequately in disaster risk reduction or resilience planning. Their needs are yet to be addressed in the government's disaster management strategy.
This also indicates that the resulting response and reconstruction efforts tend to overlook the specific vulnerabilities and needs of women when disasters strike. Therefore, the impacts of climate change on women should be explored. Emphasis should not be placed merely on women's greater vulnerability but on how to reduce these vulnerabilities to make them more resilient. They should also be included in every decision-making process aimed at reducing their vulnerabilities. Women should be considered an integral part of disaster risk reduction planning and capacity building programmes.
Anita Jahid is a PhD candidate, School of Social Science and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Australia.