FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYZING GENDER & …siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTGENDER/Resources/workshop...During extreme weather events, women may be unable to flee out of harm‟s way. Women

Nilufar Ahmad,Sr. Gender Specialist, World Bank

MDB-Sponsored Regional Workshops to Mainstream Gender Equality in Infrastructure Policies & Projects

Africa Regional Workshop

March 22-24, 2011 – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYZING GENDER &

CLIMATE CHANGE , AND IMPLICATION ON

INFARSTRUCTURE : LESSONS FROM

BANGLADESH, ETHIOPIA AND GHANA

Social Development Department

Context: Are Women more Vulnerable to Climate Variability and Change?

Data and analytical work indicate that women are more vulnerable

1. Women usually suffer from inherent disadvantages due to social/cultural norms, that results in limited resources, voice and rights; Women also lack capital –human, natural, financial, physical

2. Socially designated roles and responsibilities at HH and community- women are time poor, lack education, skills, information, and therefore have limited economic opportunities

3. With incremental climate variations, women have to manage multiple risks under constrained condition

4. In many developing countries, even if women own asset, they have limited control and decision

5. When women lose husband or father during disaster, they may become destitute due to discriminatory inheritance laws

6. Emerging vulnerabilities: rural and urban. For example, women may face lack of livelihood opportunities in rural areas, but can access support with existing social relations/capital. One of the adaptation mechanism is to move to urban areas, where there are economic opportunities but lack of security, social networks and may face violence


Gender Based Vulnerability Depend on Climate, Asset Base and Social Conditions in Many Cases

For women vulnerability is about managing multiple risks created by climate change under the constrained base conditions created by their social standing and asset base.

Climate

• Climate Change create vulnerability

Asset Base

• Asset transformation

capacity hindered by lack of control

and access

Social

• Social barriers created by

institutions like family, religion

and culture


Conceptual Framework


Analysis of social/gender, environment and poverty nexus in sustainable development (infrastructure, agriculture)


Key definitions in the framework

Sustainable Development: (a) economic and financial feasibility; (b) environmental and (c) social sustainability

Social and institutional Sphere includes laws (statutory and customary, cultural traditions, governance, and other social and power relationships and networks affecting the economy, environment and gender). These can facilitate both positive (access, participation, voice, and empowerment) or negative impacts (inequality, exclusion and vulnerability)

Economic Sphere includes financial policy and systems, poverty reduction policy and programs, agriculture and infrastructure programs, national, regional and local markets; as well as macroeconomic shocks.

Environmental Sphere includes natural resources--both renewable and non-renewable--that make up our surroundings and helps to sustain livelihoods. This includes all of the physical land, air, water, trees and animals features, population pressure on the environment and climatic shocks.


Key Finding from 3 countries: Multiple climate impacts in one area, changing over time and limiting peoples adaptation options

People are facing multiple climate related hazards - primary, secondary and tertiary levels, and these changing over time.

“Hotspots” were considered vulnerable to one hazard in traditional literature, but field survey reveals that these areas have a primary hazard, but also secondary and tertiary hazards which are increasing in intensity and frequency. For example, in Bangladesh, some areas known as drought prone hotspot there is also incidence of flood, while other flash flood prone areas are having incidence of drought.

Another aspect of secondary hazards is that it can no longer be considered secondary, they have become primary.

In all these cases the secondary hazards pose a completely different threat to lives and livelihoods. People know some adaptation practices for the primary ones, but have limited options for newer hazards.


Key Findings: Myth vs. reality

Myth: Women die in cyclones as they cannot swim (In 1991, 90% of the victims of the Bangladesh cyclone were reported to be women and children and in 2007 cyclone, the ratio of male and female was 1: 5)

Reality: women living in coastal areas can swim very well. As they are responsible for HH and children; and most of the cyclone shelters are not women friendly, women usually do not go to shelters on time. One survivor of 2007 cyclone said the she left the house when the roof fell on her head.

Myth: Women have less social capital as they are secluded within HH.

Reality: Women have much higher social capital than men as they bond well, and help each other in need.

Myth: Women will stay at home and not migrate.

Reality: Migration rate is higher among rich and poor women and men. Poor women are migrating to the capital or other large cities, while men move to nearby areas. Migration of young women in Ghana is really high.


Bangladesh

Flash Flood Prone

Drainage Congestion Prone

Control

Landslide Prone

Sea Level Rise Prone

Tidal Surge Prone

Cyclone Prone

Salinity Prone

Drought Prone

River Flood Prone


Key Finding: Social conventions and cultural norms shape women‟s sensitivity to climate change in Bangladesh

Many women cannot leave home or stay in a shelter without a male relative

During extreme weather events, women may be unable to flee out of harm‟s way.

Women find it difficult to stay in the shelters without male relatives, as they may face harassment and violence

Shelters are not gender friendly, and no separate space/rooms or toilets for women and men.

It was reported by one community in Borguna that when they went to the shelter before the cyclone SIDR, they found it locked, and the person keeping the key was out of the area. Many people died on the steps of the shelter.

Social/cultural norms add to the burden

Sarees , can become easily entangled and limit women‟s ability to escape

Women are responsible for the household, children, elderly and sick, therefore, most of the time not able to save themselves and others in their care during disasters

Gender based impact of Climate change

In saline and drought-prone areas of Bangladesh, women now need to walk longer distances to collect water and fuel, risking their health and safety in the process.

Time spent on these activities reduces opportunities to engage in other productive tasks.

In Bangladesh, more boys (60%) than girls (25%) are dropping out of school for income

Women are taking less food as an adaptive strategy, higher level of female malnutrition

Higher level of miscarriage in salinity prone areas, over 50% women suffered from major diseases, while for men it is around 10%


Key Finding: Women and girls becoming more vulnerable, as regressive adaptation practices are being selected

Early marriage considered as an adaptation strategy

In climate vulnerable areas, families are marring off girls at early age, so as to reduce their own liability and for the girls protection. Groom‟s family benefits from dowry in time of crises, bride‟s family benefits from reduced household expenses, but young bride will likely become pregnant early, suffer poor maternal health and not obtain an education.

Early marriage actually increases girl‟s vulnerability in the long-term.

Early marriages have a tendency to end up in divorce or abandonment.

Migration to urban areas without social networks make women vulnerable

Large scale migration to urban areas may reduce capacity of service providers, and poor women and children are exposed to environmental health risks.

Household taking loans find difficult to repay, as livelihood scope is reduced

Household take loans for disaster recovery, but frequent and intensive climate events leave them more vulnerable.


Ghana


Ghana

Climate change is increasing frequency of extreme weather events, flooding, drought and desertification – resulting loss of agricultural products. These are affecting everyone in Ghana but its impact is greater on the poor and it magnifies existing inequalities.

Reduced water availability, especially in the savannah zone, increasing women‟s and girls‟ burden of collecting water.

Large scale migration of women from North to Accra, vulnerable without social networks.

Women in Ghana produce about 70 percent of food crops, they lack the necessary resources to improve their productivity and increase their income.

The savannah zone is least endowed in natural resources and has very little vegetation or cultivable land. The large concentration of people using scarce resources has led to a high degree of environmental degradation. Women were most vulnerable because they have less voice in decision making over household and community resources.


Ethiopia


Ethiopia findings

gender division of labor is characterized by the limited participation of men in domestic activities and the participation of women in all agricultural activities except oxen-plowing (in the farming communities) and substantial participation of women in livestock rearing activities.

One main similarity across the study sites is the tendency to under-value women’s work by magnifying and attaching greater importance to certain male-oriented tasks such as ox-plowing and the herding of larger livestock and the role of men in seasonal migration.

Women’s participation in economic activities have increased over time and both men and women agreed that women carry a greater work burden. Increased poverty and vulnerability in recent years has obliged women to engage more in alternative income generating activities such as petty trade and services as men‟s breadwinner role declined due to massive loss of livestock caused by recurrent and severe droughts.


Gender-responsive Infrastructure can reduce women and men’s vulnerability to climate risks

Preventive infrastructures can reduce fatalities from climatic shocks, improve conservation of water, forest and help agricultural and industrial products.

In Bangladesh, coastal embankments and cyclone shelters helped reduce vulnerability to climate events and variability. In 1970 cyclone, more than 0.5 million were killed, and the number was reduced to 3500 in 2007. Embankments also reduce salinity intrusion from rising sea level and protect agricultural, fish and livestock products, and protect bio-diversity.

In Ethiopia, food security is of vital importance and is a national goal. Projects like MERET developed infrastructure and technologies, such as sediment storage dams, eyebrow basins and percolation pits for conservation of water, improved irrigation and regeneration of forests; and ensured potable water supply to HH. This also developed skills of women farmers and developed their resilience to climatic and economic shocks. The availability of fuelwood in nearby areas reduced women‟s collection times.

In Ghana, the savannah zone in north lacks natural resources and land. LACOSREP rehabilitated dams and irrigation canals, that helped increase agriculture production, regenerated forest and ensured potable water supply, reduced vulnerability to climate variability. This also developed skills of women farmers and developed their resilience to climatic and economic shocks.


Infrastructure programs alleviating CC impacts

Ghana Savannah zone had severely been degraded by population pressure on limited resources as well as deforestation and conversion of farmlands into residential areas.

decline in soil fertility & disappearance of springs and water sources for livestock whilst prolonged periods of drought meant decreasing crop production; and livestock became weaker and producing less milk.

poverty and burden of poor women was gradually increasing as they had to go further to get water and fuel for the household.

The LACOSREP reversed this negative spiral & growing impacts of climate change by

1. constructing/rehabilitating dams which provided all-year round access to water for farming and livestock and reduced water collection burden for women;

2. introducing composting to replenish the soil and improve its fertility,

3. introducing and encouraging the use of drought-resistant crops for farmers and encouraging planting of trees to reduce the impact of deforestation on the natural environment and agricultural activities.

4. enhancing livelihoods diversification and increased economic opportunities of women through their access to credit facilities and improved food production, improved animals‟ husbandry and increased income levels for the poor men and women.


Infrastructure programs alleviating CC impacts (cont)

Multi-functional Platforms (MFP):

1. MFP enhances the adaptation of poor households to climate change, as women do not need to depend on woodfuel or charcoal. This also reduced pressure on forests.

2. the availability of processing facilities, the MFP making many poor men and women interested in vegetable production & cashew farming, and enhanced livelihoods & income.

3. In particular, the introduction of the MFP has also created new jobs and entertainment and thereby increasing the potential for economic diversification and livelihood adaptation to climatic shock effects (unpredictable patterns of rainfall and soil infertility).

4. The MFP has also helped improve women‟s non-farm skills such as improved gari processing for value addition. Others have learnt to prepare a local snack called „kulikuli‟ and soap. Those who were previously not into income generating activities like shea butter processing, gari processing and „pito‟ (local drink) brewing have now started doing so because of the availability of the platforms. Many more are expecting that they will receive training in other non-farm skills such as the use of soya beans in preparing kebab.

5. It can be powered by green diesel (e.g. jatropha oil), and therefore maintains women's source of livelihood and economic resilience.

Likewise, decentralized solar power is a good way to limit the service loss -- example of Bangladesh cyclone in 2007 -- which enabled the people of Char Montaz and other places to quickly recharge their phones and inform where help was most needed.


Ethiopia MERET (Managing Environmental Resources to Enable Transition to More Sustainable Livelihoods) Project

Gender equitable access to resources and resilience:

1. Environmental recovery and regeneration of natural resources and ground water in a severely degraded environment has increased access to resources for humans and their livestock.

2. This was achieved by closure of degraded areas to allow for regeneration, development of local conservation technologies and food for conservation work done by both women and men.

3. Locally developed infrastructure and technologies, such as sediment storage dams, eyebrow basins and percolation pits, are all variations on basic conservation structures that have been adapted to the highlands‟ steep terrain and intense rain bursts.

4. As a result of these measures, the time spent by women daily for collection of firewood decreased by 2.2 hours and water collection decreased by 2 hours.

5. Regeneration of the water table through conservation measures. Investment in community natural resource management capacity building, essential for sustainable disaster risk management interventions, also builds social capital and the ability to act collectively to solve community problems which is an important aspect of resilience


Gender-responsive adaptation strategy: ensuring gender equality in rights, resources, access to services and governance/decision making

bodies for promoting climate-resilient development

Stress technical (embankments, water conservation, decentralized green energy, saline resilient crop etc) solution with social engineering (need based capacity building for women and men, access to skills, extension services, climate funds, women in decision-making of climate related activities, infrastructure and finance).

Women have and nurture social capital and network, can be powerful agents of change if empowered with education, information, support services and economic and decision making opportunities, especially in inf. management.

Learning from women‟s experiences adapting to climate variability and change can help inform the development of equitable and efficient climate- resilient development policies. Build on ongoing adaptation practices

Rapid urbanization and migration is creating emerging vulnerabilities: Build social cohesion and support between the host and migrant communities within the urban areas, especially support for vulnerable women, expand social, legal and livelihood and utility services

ICT is crucial in disaster and CC forecasting and mitigation: In South Asia, information about heavy rain and flood in Himalayas help lower riparians take preventive measures. With solor system and cell phone, people in remote areas can call for help.

Documents

FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYZING GENDER & …siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTGENDER/Resources/workshop...During extreme weather events, women may be unable to flee out of harm‟s way. Women