Upon the doom of doing my readings for my Sustainable Energy Systems class that takes me just about 6 hours a week, I came upon one piece that emphasized the need for gender equality in the fight for climate change. The issue intrigued me at first but I wondered “what does gender have to do with climate change?”. I have always viewed climate change as an all encompassing issue that affects everyone and should be in the interest of everyone however; this class has opened my eyes to how social, political, and economic factors can exacerbate disparities and lead to differing effects of climate change that hit some harder than others. I’ve explored environmental justice quite a bit as it relates to race and effects of colonialism so, I made it my mission to dive into the role gender plays in climate change.
climate change exacerBates existing disparities—and women have plenty of that….
Climate change and its disasters amplify existing inequalities and in many cases, can make it worse. Climate change does in fact not affect everyone the same but affects women and young girls the most. Restrictive social norms that prevent women from leaving home or economic inequality that women face more are factors that make it harder for women to leave during natural disasters brought about by climate change. For example, during a cyclone in Bangladesh, women were less likely to escape because of modesty norms that restricted them from ever learning to swim.
While men have the privilege of only having to think for themselves, women’s maternal duties force her with the added responsibilities of her children—highlighting the very gendered aspects of climate change. Climate violence is a social effect of climate change in which there is very high correlation between climate disasters and increased violence. A subset of this is increased violence against women—especially as men’s traditional ideas of protecting women and their homes are threatened by something out of their control, leading to frustration they take out on women.
The unstableness created by climate change disasters leaves an added layer of disorder that leaves women susceptible to increased human trafficking, exploitation, and death. In addition, weather changes entrench maternal and reproductive health. These factors leave women more likely to die from climate change than men, highlighting the need for their voice in environmental activism.
gender and racial equality in the climate crisis are not mutually exclusive
When I say that women are hit the hardest by climate change, there is further segmentation within that. Women of color, especially in developing countries, face the largest brunt of climate change. Social factors such as women’s role in agriculture make them especially vulnerable to climate change. Indigenous women have long been responsible for natural resources and navigating the environment in their communities, and have subsequently developed great knowledge of how to work with the Earth. Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize, led the Green Belt movement to combat deforestation in Kenya which later spread all over Africa. Women of color have long been the heads of grassroots movements that have global impacts and their leadership is essential in the fight against climate change.
women are innately great leaders in environmental activism
Women possess the trait of having empathy that equip us to be great—if not the best—leaders in the climate change movement. A report by the Women’s Environment and Development Organization in 2020 found that across the country, women’s concerns with climate change had to do with effects not just to their own livelihoods—but to their families, their community, and the world. This level of empathy is especially critical in climate change activism seeing as the problem has largely been brought about by a very lack of it.
The “white man effect” ,in which white men don’t perceive risks as much as women and people of color, highlights the role identity and cultural lenses play on limitations of their leadership. This is especially interesting as we view how climate policies are going with our current White House Administration. The ability to internalize risks is highly valued in the topic of climate change where taking any more risks can lead to irreversible damage. The term climate change issues itself very much might not be relevant anymore. This is clearly a crisis and research has proven that women are better leaders during a crisis. Climate change is a critical issue requiring swift yet considerate decision making—something women certainly bring to the table.
women need a seat at the table—now
Women are critically underrepresented in national and global climate decision making bodies, comprising only 30%. Seeing as we are more affected by it, we should have equal—if not greater—representation in climate decision making. Their perspectives are needed to consider the unique implications of climate change against them. The proof is in the pudding—countries with higher women leadership rates have less CO2 emissions. Female leadership in environmental policymaking is growing but has a long way to go.
Resources
- https://theelders.org/news/climate-change-women-must-be-heard-cop26
- https://unfoundation.org/blog/post/five-facts-about-gender-equality-and-climate-change/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwv_m-BhC4ARIsAIqNeBshXCGxtOYqHTdoLlQ-b2Te2wzfJK1npNqABNzWP8TQfSDA8MHRWi0aAiN0EALw_wcB
- https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/explainer/2022/02/explainer-how-gender-inequality-and-climate-change-are-interconnected
- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-save-a-planet/id1525955817?i=1000613697162