Syllabus:
GS 1 – Role of Women and Women’s Organization
GS 3 – Disaster and Disaster Management
Source: The Hindu – 5/09/2023
Content
- The climate crisis is not “gender neutral”. Women and girls experience the greatest impacts of climate change, which amplifies existing gender inequalities and poses unique threats to their livelihoods, health, and safety.
- The United Nations (2009) highlighted that across genders, women are considered to be highly vulnerable and disproportionately affected by climate change than men to the impact of climate change.
Disproportionate effect of climate change on rural women in India
- Dependence on natural resources: Women are the primary dependents on natural resources and are responsible for securing food, water, and fuel for the households, and therefore are more vulnerable.
- Polluting energy sources: Most rural households in India rely on polluting energy sources like firewood and kerosene for their daily cooking and lighting needs. Women and children dependent on firewood are exposed to indoor pollution and its harmful health effects.
- Limited land-owning rights: Despite their vast knowledge and experience, they continue to hold very limited land-owning rights and minimal financial resources, which put them at a disadvantage in mitigating any climate-related crisis.
- Vulnerable occupation:Women form the majority of the agricultural workforce in rural India, a field which is especially vulnerable to climate change.
- Burden of work:Women perform additional 12–14 hours of work due to climate displacement and migration (as per the report by Climate Action Network)
- According to the World Health Organization (WHO), women also suffer higher mortality and a larger decrease in life expectancy during, and after, extreme weather events.
- Women and girls also face increased vulnerabilities to all forms of gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence, human trafficking, child marriage, and other forms of violence.
- Research indicates that extreme heat increases incidence of stillbirth, and climate change is increasing the spread of vector-borne illnesses such as malaria, dengue fever, and Zika virus, which are linked to worse maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Case Studies
- A study of the tea plantations in Darjeeling, West Bengal, finds that in the last few years, the excessive use of fertilizers in the production of tea (a need that arose due to climate and ecological deterioration) has severely affected female tea workers. They have suffered vision loss, skin infections, loss of appetite, and breathing ailments.
- Another report from Bihar, studying the impact on women in the aftermath of floods finds increased incidence of domestic violence against women, higher instances of trafficking in the name of marriage, increased preference for male children, and instances of abuse in the flood relief camps.
- The case of water wives in rural Maharashtra (the men of the village have started taking on more wives, where the role of these wives is only to make sure that there is water in the house)shows yet another link between climate change and an increase in women’s exploitation.
Role of women in mitigation of climate change
- Women possess unique knowledge and experience, particularly at the local level, and their inclusion in decision-making processes is critical to effective climate action.
- The participation of women in natural resource management is associated with better resource governance and conservation outcomes.
- Expanding women’s access to productive resources can increase agricultural production and food security and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
- Women’s leadership in the workplace is associated with increased transparency around climate impact.
Gender-responsive climate actions in India
- SEWA: SEWA is an organization that helps women farmers in India learn how to adapt to climate change and improve their financial stability.
- Ujwala LPG Scheme: Educating women in rural areas about the benefits of clean fuel can help reduce the negative impacts of traditional fuels on their health and the environment.
- Swayam Shikshan Prayog, an Indian NGO, trains rural women in entrepreneurship and builds their capacities for marketing clean-energy projects in their communities.
Global initiatives
- Gender and Climate Change Development Programme: It aims to increase women’s influence in policy making by providing them with a stronger voice.
- Solar sister: In Africa, a women’s collective named ‘Solar sisters’ is trying to create small solar grids to reach energy efficiency.
Sustainable Development Goal, Women and Climate change.
- Gender equality and environmental goals are mutually reinforcing and create a virtuous circle that will help accelerate the achievement of the SDGs.
Way Forward
- Govt intervention: Provide Govt support to groups that educate the public, train people to adapt to climate change and invest in women’s education and training in environmentally friendly farming methods
- Gender-sensitive investments: Investments in women’s education, training, and access to resources to mitigate the impact of climate change.
- Teaching sustainable methods: Reduce the negative impacts of climate change on people’s living standards by teaching them how to practice sustainable agriculture, water management, and energy generation.
- Gender parity in decision making: Women’s participation in climate policy decision making at all levels is crucial for effective climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies as well as getting decent employment.
- Capacity Development: Introduce initiatives to support need-based, gender-sensitive adaptation planning at the local level.
- International green funding organizations should create a mandatory section in their applications about how the use of the funds will impact women and how they will be incorporated into the programme.
- Instead of solution-based responses, there is a need for a population-based response to this crisis, where women are seen as agents with their own set of needs, limitations, and contexts, and the policies for mitigation are designed accordingly.
Related topics
Female participation in Agriculture in India
- In India, Agriculture employs about 80 percent of rural women.
- India is an agrarian economy with about 54.6 percent of total workforce engaged in agricultural and allied sector activities (Census 2011).
- Women are extensively engaged in the activities pertaining to agriculture and allied sectors.
- The workforce participation rate for rural females is significantly higher at 41.8 percent against urban women participation rate of 35.31 percent (MoSPI, 2017).
Reference
- https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/climate-change-and-women/&ved=2ahUKEwi6gMH935KBAxXYwzgGHThqARsQFnoECCoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3ybqhDDJqLmjlB9DgVpjRW
- https://unfccc.int/climate-action/momentum-for-change/women-for-results/rural-community-leaders-combatting-climate-change
- https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/explainer/2022/03/explainer-why-women-need-to-be-at-the-heart-of-climate-action
- https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/explainer/2022/02/explainer-how-gender-inequality-and-climate-change-are-interconnected
- https://www.niti.gov.in/rural-women-key-new-indias-agrarian-revolution
Practice Question:
Discuss the role of women in combating climate change in India. How can women-led climate action help mitigate the country’s gender-based climate risks? Provide examples of successful women-led initiatives in India.