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Gender and Climate Resilience
Context:
India’s cities are at the forefront of rapid urbanisation, facing increasing climate risks that strain infrastructure and deepen existing inequalities.
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- However, a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of this crisis is that climate change is not gender-neutral.
- Women—especially those from marginalised and low-income communities—bear the greatest burden of climate-induced disruptions, while having limited access to decision-making spaces that shape urban resilience.
About Gender Unequal Climate Change
- Fetching Water: As groundwater levels decline, women in informal settlements spend excessive time fetching water for their households.
- In Chennai’s 2019 water crisis, women in slums queued for hours at water tankers, while men migrated for work, leaving them to manage household shortages alone.
- Heat and Air Quality: They are also more vulnerable to extreme heat, as many work in informal sectors such as domestic labor, street vending, and construction—professions that expose them to rising temperatures and poor air quality.
- Disasters: When floods and disasters displace communities, women’s access to sanitation, reproductive healthcare, and personal safety is significantly compromised.
- During floods (e.g., Mumbai 2005, Kerala 2018), women faced higher risks of sexual violence in relief camps and lost access to sanitation and maternal healthcare.
- Public Transport: Additionally, inadequate public transport and the absence of gender-sensitive urban planning restrict their mobility and economic opportunities.
- In Delhi, only 9% of women feel safe using public transport at night (UN Women, 2022), limiting their job opportunities.
Mainstreaming Gender in Climate Strategies
- The work Making Climate Action Count: Gender in the Mainstream of Urban Climate Strategies brings together experts to explore the intersection of gender and climate resilience across urban sectors.
- The chapters examine barriers that women face in accessing, adopting, and leading climate solutions while offering policy recommendations to integrate gender-responsive strategies into India’s urban climate agenda.
Energy, Water, and Food Security in Climate-Resilient Cities
- The transition to clean energy presents an opportunity for a more equitable urban future, yet women face systemic barriers in accessing and leading energy solutions.
- Gender-responsive energy policies can enable a just and inclusive transition, ensuring that women are not left behind in the shift to renewable energy.
- Bhopal’s “She toilets” provide safe sanitation with lighting and sanitary pad vending machines, reducing health risks for women.
- However, access to energy is deeply connected to water security, particularly in cities where climate change-induced water stress exacerbates existing gender inequalities.
- Disruptions in water availability impact women-led food supply chains, urban agriculture, and nutrition security.
Gender, Mobility, and Health in Urban Climate Action
- For women to participate fully in urban climate solutions, they must have access to safe, affordable, and sustainable mobility options.
- Gendered mobility patterns influence access to education, employment, and economic opportunities.
- There is a need for inclusive transport systems that accommodate women’s needs while contributing to climate-resilient infrastructure.
- Climate change, through rising temperatures, air pollution, and vector-borne diseases, exacerbates health disparities among women.
- Gender-responsive health policies are needed to address these risks and build more inclusive urban healthcare systems.
- Tamil Nadu’s Urban Health Mission integrates climate resilience with maternal health programs, ensuring clinics remain functional during floods.
- Beyond healthcare, disaster preparedness is essential for cities facing climate shocks.
- Integrating women’s voices in resilience planning strengthens cities’ ability to withstand climate shocks.
- Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) trains women in Gujarat to install solar panels, creating green jobs while improving energy access.
Recognising Women’s Labor in Climate Adaptation
- Long-term resilience depends on acknowledging and valuing women’s unpaid and underpaid labor in urban economies.
- Kerala’s Kudumbashree involves women in urban farming and waste management, but their work remains undervalued in city budgets.
- Women’s participation in urban greening and nature-based solutions also remains limited.
- There is a value of traditional ecological knowledge in shaping sustainable urban landscapes and advocates for greater inclusion of women in climate adaptation initiatives.
As India’s cities confront the escalating climate crisis, they must move beyond surface-level commitments to gender inclusion. Sustainable and resilient urban development depends on recognising women as key stakeholders in climate action.
