The Resilience Gap: Why Ignoring Women in Disaster Planning is a Risk We Can’t Afford
The next major climate shock won’t just test infrastructure; it will expose the deep inequalities that determine who survives and who rebuilds. While disasters impact everyone, a stark reality remains: women and girls are disproportionately vulnerable, facing longer recovery times and systemic barriers to accessing vital resources. This isn’t simply a matter of fairness – it’s a critical flaw in our disaster preparedness, one that undermines the resilience of entire communities.
The Unequal Burden of Crisis
Social norms, economic disparities, and outright discrimination amplify the risks women face during and after disasters. These factors aren’t isolated; they create a cascading effect. Disasters often disrupt essential services like healthcare and education, increasing women’s unpaid care work – already representing over three-quarters of the world’s total – and limiting their economic opportunities. The UNDP highlights this crucial point, noting that recognizing and prioritizing care is fundamental to effective disaster management.
Care Infrastructure: The Invisible Lifeline
The disruption of care services isn’t a secondary consequence of disaster; it’s a core component of the crisis itself. Initiatives like the ‘Mommy in the Shelter’ program in Ukraine, transforming basements into child-friendly refuges, demonstrate the power of integrating care into emergency response. Similarly, geo-referenced care mapping tools, used in Honduras, Cuba, Belize, and Guatemala, are identifying ‘care deserts’ and informing targeted interventions. Without addressing these needs, recovery is significantly hampered, not just for women, but for entire families and communities.
Women’s Leadership: A Catalyst for Resilience
Beyond bearing a disproportionate burden, women possess unique knowledge and perspectives vital for effective disaster risk reduction (DDR). Their local expertise, often overlooked, is crucial for understanding vulnerabilities and developing tailored solutions. The UNDP’s work demonstrates that actively opening doors for women to shape decisions – from local committees to national platforms – unlocks innovation and strengthens community resilience.
Examples abound. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Feminist Coalition for Climate Justice, supported by the UNDP, has improved working conditions for over 75,000 women and trained 1,500 women officials in energy and climate management. In Chad, women’s cooperatives are combining climate-smart agriculture, solar irrigation, and early warning systems to reduce flood risks and support recovery. These aren’t isolated successes; they are proof of concept for a more inclusive and effective approach to DDR.
The Power of Data: Seeing the Full Picture
Effective disaster planning demands accurate, disaggregated data. Without information broken down by sex, age, and disability, policies risk missing the specific needs of vulnerable groups. Last year, the UNDP increased sex-disaggregated data analysis in 20 countries, leading to more targeted early warning systems (Cuba, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Samoa, Yemen) and improved recovery measures (Ethiopia, Armenia). This data-driven approach isn’t just about identifying needs; it’s about empowering women to participate meaningfully in the solutions.
Building Institutional Capacity for Gender-Responsive Resilience
Resilient communities require resilient institutions. Organizations, from national authorities to local risk committees, must embed gender considerations into their policies, planning, and programming. Guatemala’s national disaster risk management authority, earning the UNDP’s Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions, sets a powerful example. This signifies a commitment to weaving gender mandates, data, and participation – including for Indigenous women – into the fabric of local risk management.
Looking Ahead: A Future of Inclusive Resilience
Despite progress, significant gaps remain. Gender equality is too often sidelined in disaster, climate, humanitarian, and development efforts. The future of disaster resilience hinges on a fundamental shift: making women’s leadership, care, and inclusion central to every plan and policy. This requires sustained investment in women’s resilience, including risk financing, social protection, and support for women-led enterprises. It demands a commitment to strengthening institutional capacities to apply a gender lens to risk management.
What are your predictions for the role of gender equality in building climate resilience over the next decade? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
