Looking Climate Change Impacts from Gender Lens: A South Asian Perspective
Sabita Gyawali and Prabodh Devkota
No doubt, Climate change is showing its impact globally. Though climate change impacts global citizens irrespective of their nationality, caste, class, particularly women are more vulnerable to climate change because the impact of climate change is not gender neutral. As Maira Zahur (Women for Climate Justice) says "women are more vulnerable to climate change because they are more likely to be poor and have fewer coping mechanisms than men, and have additional responsibilities" (1). In this context, South Asia which is economically, politically and culturally trapped under the vicious circles of patriarchy might have to face some of the greatest challenges caused by climate impacts; the cost on women and girls will be higher.
South Asia is probably one of the vulnerable areas in climate change scenario. Due to lower adaptive capacity the region is expected to receive adverse impact of climate change. It effects differently but severely on people of different age group, gender and income group. However, it is a region which has a dominant patriarchal power structure and women are socially, politically, economically and culturally marginalized. In contrast, they are the major contributors in the agricultural production which is the major source of livelihood for South Asia. In addition, they are often responsible in providing food for the family but they are far behind in the accessibility of resources, property and lack space in politics and in decision making. These factors are in a way directly indirectly responsible in hardening the lives of women in the region. In these contexts, the adverse impact of climate change will further marginalize the women in the region as Ms. Ine's Alberdi, Executive Director, UNIFEM, says, "However, women are commonly subjected to social, political and economic inequality and discrimination and it is this inequality that places many women at higher risks of the negative impacts of climate change."(2)
South Asia is a region where 400 million poor lives and among them women share the major number and burden of poverty. In this region there is a trend that property is to be inherited by the son. Though women are the main contributors in the production and are the major labor they are compelled to work in their fathers' or husbands' land. They don't have any access to land ownership as a result they are the victims of exploitation and discrimination. For example in Nepal 10.84% of women have land ownership and 17.13% women have ownership on property (3). These women are differently vulnerable to climate change impacts due to some of these pre-existing inequalities. Particularly in situation where climate change has started to directly affect the agricultural sector, the women will be the major victims of such consequences.
Land distribution in South Asia is made on the basis of gender, class and caste. For example "Landlessness among the Dalits is a common feature in the Indian rural economy. At an all India level, the 1999-2000 NSS data illustrates that around 10 percent of the SC households are landless as compared to 13.34 percent in 1992 and 19.10 percent in 1982. Though it is apparent that landlessness is decreasing, but the rate of decrease is marginal. On the other hand, 6.15 percent of the Non SC/ST households were found to be landless in 1999-2000, as compared to 10.53 in 1992 (4). In this context it is clear that Dalits, a major population has already been excluded in using land as source of their livelihoods, furthermore the worst impacts of climate change will further exclude them and force them to face other multiple challenges caused by it. It is clear that within the Dalits population the potential climate crisis will first hit Dalits women who are double marginalized as women and as Dalits (the so called untouchables).
In South Asia majority of population are dependent on agriculture. And among them women are the main contributors in agricultural production. For example in India, 43.4 percent of women work as agricultural laborers in rural area which far exceeds the male percentage or proportion that is 27.5 percent(5). "Similarly major numbers of Nepalese women (40 percent) are economically active, where most of them are engaged in agricultural sector. About 67 percent of women participate in the family farm economy and 59 percent in the local market economy"(6). Similarly in Pakistan, women are key players in the agriculture sector where 12 million women are the producer of crops, vegetables and livestock"(7). These women are the primary contributors of agricultural production in South Asian context but environment change like drought, uncertain rainfall and cyclones make these women highly exposed to the risk and challenge to cope up with the climate change. 'They have to spend extra time and work harder to secure food, water and energy. Girls drop out from school in order to help their mother in the house chores'(8). This shows that, climate change is not only affecting people environmentally but economically and socially too; the cost on women is higher.
Similarly, water is the main source of livelihood. But in developing countries water is scarce and contaminated for more than billion of people. People are not being able to get clean and pure drinking water which make them prone to health hazards and water borne disease. A 2000 report by the Asian Development Bank stated that 'of the 300 million people living in the Asia-Pacific region, one person out of three have no access to sources of safe drinking water within 200 meters (655 feet) of their homes'. Similarly climate change is also showing its impact in water resources. Women are the collectors, users and managers of water especially in household chores like washing, cooking and drinking. For example 'in Bangladesh women, almost equal to the contribution of male family labor, carry out some 40 to 50 percent of field irrigation and non-farm water management' (9). Due to increase in temperature and drastic climate change, traditional source of water are getting dried up and women have to travel far distance to collect water. It is even more difficult for women and girls if they are compelled to collect water during evening time because they are further exposed to harassment, violence and exploitation. Similarly women have to face serious health problem due to their task of carrying heavy loads. 'Miscarriage in Uttarachal, India, is 30% higher than the national average and is associated with the very heavy weights women in that rural zone have to carry to collect water and firewood. In Nepal, women suffer from bladder problems associated with carrying large amounts of firewood after they become pregnant (10). Looking at these practical examples we can easily figure out the potential crisis caused by climate change on the water resources: women are the major victims of these consequences.
Similarly due to extra burden of managing household and taking care of children they have less accessibility to income generating job and mobility. Even if women are engaged in income generating jobs, there exist the trends of unequal wage distributions in South Asia. Though the working hours of women are more than male, women get 70 % of the wages paid to male for the same type of work in both the developed and less developed countries (11). According to some estimates, women represent 70 percent of the world's poor. They are often paid less than men for their work, with the average wage gap in 2008 being 17 percent. Women are often overloaded with household, taking care of children, production and reproduction. These traditional patterns of job are compelling women in South Asia too to remain within the boundary of home. As a result women are not familiar with techniques to cope up with outer environment in present context. On the other they have less access to information to cope up with emerging challenges caused by climate change.
To add on this, environmentalists estimate that among 70 percent of poor most vulnerable to environmental damage are women. For example 'Localized case studies associated with a devastating 1991 cyclone in Bangladesh, the 2003 European heat wave, and the 2004 Asian tsunami nonetheless affirm the greater vulnerability of women. In Bangladesh, many women died during a flood in 2001 because their traditional long dress and burka hindered their movements and prevented them from escaping the rising waters, according to Jean D' Cunha, regional program director of the United Nations Fund for Women based in Thailand (12).
South Asia recorded 128 natural disaster events between 2006 and 2008. 93% of these were of hydro-meteorological origin. 86 incidences of flooding were reported, with nearly 8000 lives lost. India had by far the highest number of disaster events, but flooding in Bangladesh claimed most lives (13). And report shows that in these natural disaster women and children are the major population group who lost their lives. Most often data around the affected populations affected by disasters are gender neutral. But a few studies done in Bangladesh following the cyclone and flood disasters of 1991 revealed that, among women aged 20-44, the death rate was 71 per 1000, compared to 15 per 1000 for men (UNEP 2005) (14). One of the major reasons behind this death toll as observed by researches were 'Bangladeshi women found it hard to climb walls, trees, and roofs because they are culturally forbidden to do these "manly" activities in their daily lives. And women could not escape the disaster because of their traditional dresses or they were busy saving their children. Even they survive the disaster in rehabilitation center they are not able to get clean and hygienic environment and furthermore they are prone to humiliation, violence and sexual harassment due to their gender (15).
Women are more vulnerable during disasters because they have less access to resources, are victims of the gendered division of labor and are the primary caregivers to children, the elderly and the disabled (Jones, 2005). According to OXFAM, 'more women than men were killed by the Asian tsunami, as figures from India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka suggest. In some areas the disaster claimed four times as many women as men. The report states that women were worse hit because they were waiting on beaches for fishermen to return, or at home looking after children at the time' (OXFAM, 2005) (16).
It is crystal clear that climate change has started to affect the agricultural sector, water resources, overall all environment and it is slowly showing its impact upon the health of people as well. In these contexts, as women are at the receiving end of the society they will be the one to face challenges as the oppressed section of society. In South Asia which is highly gender biased region, climate change has further put women in a more vulnerable situation. Thus it becomes clear that unless all the mitigation efforts are centered around women's concerns, the fight will be lost. In addition, as the climate change debate is expanding from program development to capacity development, awareness to campaigns, policy debate to advocacy, unless women's special concerns are integrated within the mainstream climate debates, it is likely that a major aspect of the battle will be lost before preparing to combat the climate challenges. It is even important to acknowledge that integration of women's issue in climate debate is one aspect, what we need is to realize and practice climate debate, climate programs, advocacy, and campaigns from gender lens.
Note: the aim of this research article is to help activists and organizations working on women and climate change to develop their advocacy strategies.
References:
- CLIMATE CHANGE MEDIA PARTNERSHIP :
http://www.climatemediapartnership.org/reporting/stories/women-feel-the-impact-of-climate-change/
- Ms. Inés Alberdi
http://www.earthconcernasia.org/interview/ines.php
- Population Census: 2001
- Ms. Asha Kowtal
http://www.earthconcernasia.org/interview/asha.php
- Work Participation Rate (2001 Census) India
- Shtrii Shakti, 1995
http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/af348e/af348e07.htm
- http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/af348e/af348e07.htm
- http://genderinclimatechange.wordpress.com
- Jordans and Zwarteveen, 1997
- Resource guide on Gender and Climate change: UNDP
- Resource guide on Gender and Climate change: UNDP
- http://genderinclimatechange.wordpress.com/
- http://climatevision.janathakshan.net/SADR
- http://www.earthconcernasia.org/news/news28.php
- JOHN IREMIL E. TEODORO GMANews.TV
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/175613/women-suffer-more-than-men-during-disasters-forum-speakers-report.
- http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/af348e/af348e08.htm
