Impacts of climate change on men and women

What are the gender dimensions of climate change? As a starting point, we know that women and men do not experience climate change equally. Pre-existing gender inequalities mean that neither their contributions to the carbon emissions responsible for climate change, nor the way that they experience its effects, are the same. In many developing countries economic constraints and cultural norms that restrict women’s access to paid employment mean that their livelihoods are particularly dependent on climate-sensitive sectors, such as subsistence agriculture or water collection. Yet gender inequalities in the distribution of assets and opportunities mean that their choices are severely constrained in the face of climate change.

In addition, because women and girls are often responsible for most of the unpaid tasks around the household, their lives are directly affected by climate change impacts. For example, they often have to walk further to find increasingly scarce food, fuel and water, which leaves them with less time for education, income-generating activities or participation in community decision-making processes, further entrenching unequal gender relations. Yet it is not only at the micro level that women are left out of decision-making – policy planning and international agreements processes have a long way to go before reaching gender parity, which means women’s voices and gender issues – remain muted or invisible.