ReliefWeb

Introduction

It is often assumed that all members of a population experience the impact of disasters in the same way. However, natural disasters are not neutral: They affect women, men, girls, and boys differently due to gender inequalities caused by socioeconomic conditions, cultural beliefs, and traditional practices which have repeatedly put females at a disadvantage. “Gender” refers to the socio-cultural roles, norms, and values associated with being a man or a woman. These roles, norms, and values determine how women and men prepare for, react to, and recover from disasters, and they often cause unequal distribution of power, economic opportunities, and sense of agency.

In countries where women’s socioeconomic status is low, the mortality rate of women and girls during disasters can be higher than that of men and boys’. For example, in 1991 in Bangladesh, the cyclone-related mortality rates of women compared to men were 14:1 (see Box on page 29). Women and girls are also subject to indirect impacts that arise in the aftermaths of disasters, such as sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), early and forced marriages, loss of livelihood and access to education, deterioration in sexual and reproductive health, and increases in their workload, all of which compound the gender-specific impacts of disasters. For example, a needs assessment conducted by Mercy Corps in Karamoja, Uganda, revealed that harmful practices, including domestic violence, child marriage, courtship rape, and female genital mutilation, spike during droughts and prolonged dry spells.

In the pre-disaster context, women’s and girls’ unequal access to social, political, and economic resources influences their access to post-disaster assistance and compensation for damage and losses. For example, in the aftermath of 2010 flooding in Pakistan, many women lacked mobility due to financial and familial restrictions, which limited or prevented their access to conventionally delivered aid, whether in the form of food assistance, medical services (especially reproductive health services), and even access to toilets. Many women also lacked national identification cards (NICs), which limited their ability to receive assistance from relief schemes that were predicated on the possession of a NIC.

While the post-disaster context presents a host of challenges for women, it is important to recognize that women are not just victims of disasters. Rather, significant evidence demonstrates that women are powerful agents of change during and after disasters. In the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch that devastated Honduras and Nicaragua in 1998, women organized disaster recovery efforts, including hauling cement and building temporary shelters and latrines, in addition to undertaking governance initiatives and working to restore livelihoods. After the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, women played a crucial role in rebuilding efforts, despite the disproportionate impact that the disaster had on them. Some women were trained as masons to help repair and reconstruct houses, infrastructure, and cultural sites to be earthquake-proof. Women’s groups also successfully advocated for the integration of gender equality and women’s empowerment in disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts in the country. This resulted in the 15-point Kathmandu Declaration on disaster risk management (DRM), endorsed by government authorities and development partners, that set out key demands for gender-responsive recovery and reconstruction. In 2017, a series of earthquakes in Mexico prompted women’s groups to step up and actively contribute to rescue efforts and the rebuilding of their communities. Yet, too often women’s contributions in recovery and reconstruction are undervalued or invisible, despite evidence that demonstrates that deeper and more sustainable recovery can be achieved when promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Since the publication of PDNA Guidelines Volume B: Gender in 2014, there has been an increase in post-disaster needs assessments (PDNAs) that state that the gender-differentiated impacts of disasters, particularly violence, exclusion, and inequality, are exacerbated by the disaster, but these impacts have yet to be translated into including gender-specific differentiated needs, policies, interventions, and projects in recovery and reconstruction efforts. Many PDNAs have also often failed to understand and address gender dynamics due to a tendency to focus more on visible and more easily quantifiable physical impacts at the macro level. While this is also important, many of the assessments have been unable to assess several key issues and needs for recovery at the community and household level or gender differences in the sectoral impacts of disasters.

The strength of post-disaster recovery lies with how well it responds to the needs of both women and men. Recovery has the potential to transform unequal power relations that contribute to gender-differentiated vulnerabilities as it provides a “window of opportunity” to promote gender equality.
However, it is important to be aware that attempts at promoting women’s empowerment may face a backlash as resistance to change norms can entrench those norms even further.
Another challenge is to ensure that this sudden empowerment is not reversed with a “return to normalcy” once recovery and reconstruction have taken place.

This Guidance Note aims to provide action oriented guidance to local and national government officials and key decision makers who face post-disaster challenges and to assist them in incorporating gender-responsive recovery and reconstruction efforts across all sectors through robust gender assessments that lead to concrete needs identification and gender-specific recovery strategies and frameworks. Implementation of such actions will facilitate both a more resilient, sustainable recovery and advances in reducing gender inequality. The note also addresses the different challenges that women face in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction caused by underlying issues of inequality and marginalization. Further, the note provides guidance on how to turn a post-disaster situation into an opportunity to enhance gender equality and women’s empowerment, with a focus on building back better, as the aftermath of a disaster can present opportunities for new and more progressive gender roles and relationships to emerge.