DISASTER AND GENDER

Natural Disasters such as floods, droughts and earthquakes are gender neutral, their effects
are not. Even within the same household, men and women, boys and girls, are impacted by
disasters in different ways. It is better to understand what drives the differentiated outcomes
of disaster impacts for different populations, the better policies and interventions can be
tailored to strengthen resilience for all.

Disaster impacts often reflect, and reinforce, gender inequalities. This happens because the
conditions driving disaster impacts are influenced by gender dynamics of society. A global
study finds that women’s mortality from disasters tends to be higher in relation to that of men
in countries where women have lower socioeconomic status.

(A conceptual framework for considering gender dynamics and disaster impacts adapted

from World Bank 2012 and Hallegatte et al. 2017)

  Disaster impacts (orange circle) depend on hazard type and intensity, exposure
(who and what is at risk of being affected), levels of vulnerability (susceptibility to
damage), preparedness and coping capacity.

 Gender inequality (purple circle) arises from the expected roles of men and
women in a society, which influence socioeconomic status, level of agency, and the
way men and women prepare for, react to, are impacted by, and recover from,
disasters.

 In the overlay (maroon area) between gender inequality and disaster impacts are
the factors that drive disaster impacts and are influenced by gender dynamics. This
is where gender differentiated impacts happen. Gender-differentiated impacts of
disasters can exacerbate gender inequality, which in turn can worsen resilience to
future disasters.

 That is why disaster risk management policies and interventions should operate
in the overlay area, using the tools available for mitigating disaster impacts and
strengthening resilience to close the gender gap in outcomes. This means good
disaster risk management should consider ways in which gender dynamics
influence disaster impacts in any given area before making decisions on policy or
project design

Based on the framework, the report looks at the role of gender in disaster impacts more
broadly ─ from health and education to employment and assets to gender-based violence and
child marriage. The report goes a step further than previous studies looking at gender and
disasters by covering the role of gender in resilience ─ including disaster preparedness and
coping capacity.

Some of the key insights addressed are:

 The primary causes of gender-differentiated impact of catastrophes, especially when

women and girls are disproportionately affected, are resource and institutional
limitations. Biological factors play a crucial role.
 Even though women face great disadvantages in society, women and girls do not
usually suffer worse consequences from disasters. Men account for 70% of flood-
 related deaths in Europe and the United States primarily due to overrepresentation of
men in rescue professions.
 Women in particular encounter obstacles to access information and resources needed
to effectively plan, react and recover from a disaster. This also include access to early
warning and safe shelter, as well as to bank accounts to protect savings from disasters
and stable income.
 However, Women play an active role in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery
efforts. Acknowledging and formalizing their participation can have positive effects
on results, as well as positive spillover effects on women’s position in the community.
 Disaster recovery can also be a great opportunity to build back a community in a way
that breaks down the constrains faced by women.

The report identifies crucial policy actions that can be taken before, during and after a
disaster to mitigate gender-differentiated impacts of disasters.

Finally, the report lays out key analytical and operational priorities to enhance this agenda,
including:

 Understand what does and does not work for different population groups by
investing more in rigorous impact evaluations and assessments for designing
projects.

 Make resources and guidance available to facilitate gender gap assessments in

disaster risk management at the country and project level.

 Promote sex and age disaggregated data collection in post-disaster assessments and
other disaster related data collection.

 Leverage new data and technologies—such as mobility data—to explore topics,

previously understudied, including gendered evacuation patterns and behaviours.