WUNRN
DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT -
GENDER-SENSITIVE APPROACH
Publication: The Year of Recurring
Disasters: A Review of Natural Disasters in 2012 - Chapter 4 http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports/2013/03/natural-disaster-chapter-4-ferris
Full Report - 119 Pages: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Reports/2013/03/natural%20disasters%20review/Brookings_Review_Natural_Disasters_2012.pdf
Women and girls, who account for over half of the 200 million people
affected annually by natural disasters, are typically at greater risk from
natural hazards than men – particularly in low-income countries and among the
poor. Natural disasters and climate change often exacerbate existing
inequalities and discrimination, including those that are gender-based, and can
lead to new forms of discrimination.
The term “gender” refers to the socially-constructed roles,
behaviors, activities and attributes that a society considers appropriate for a
person based on his or her assigned sex at birth. Understanding the gender
implications and facets of natural disasters and climate change is critical to
effective disaster risk management practices that enable communities and countries
to be disaster resilient.All women, men, girls and boys do not face the same
needs and vulnerabilities in the face of natural disasters and climate change;
there are differences within each group and between individuals regarding
specific protection concerns and capacities – for example, people with mental
or physical disabilities, minorities and indigenous populations, the elderly,
chronically ill, unaccompanied children, childheaded household, female-headed
households, widows, etc. – and over time throughout the disaster and
post-disaster phases. Various factors, including social, economic, ethnic,
cultural and physiological factors, affect not only the ways that disasters
impact women, men, girls and boys, but also their coping strategies and their
participation in prevention, relief, recovery and reconstruction processes.
Women play significant roles in all stages of disaster and
climate risk management; they are often at the frontline as responders and
bring valuable resources to disaster and climate risk reduction and recovery.
However, the important roles or potential roles women take on are often not
recognized, and women themselves “are largely marginalized in the development
of DRR policy and decision-making processes and their voices go unheard.”
Yet, in most crisis situations, women and children account for
the majority of those affected (e.g., more than 75 percent of those displaced
by natural disasters, and typically 70 to 80 percent of those needing
assistance in emergency situations). Moreover, global pressures of urbanization
have particular implications for men and women in both urban and rural
communities. As the frequency and severity of hydro-meteorological hazards due
to climate change are predicted to increase, it is important to understand the
relationship between gender and disasters.
This chapter examines some of the gender-related vulnerabilities
and capacities in natural disasters, why it is important to adopt a
gender-based strategy for planning and response, what a gender-based approach
to disaster management looks like, and recommendations to relevant actors.