Abstract

Bangladesh possesses a distinctive geographical position while being one of the hardest hit by climate change. The livelihood of a vast majority of Bangladeshis is jeopardized by various natural calamities on a regular basis. Women possess distinctive difficulties during any natural calamity. This study aimed to understand the correlation between gender, climate change, and vulnerability in Jamalpur district, Bangladesh. This study employed multi-method approach employing in-depth interviews with twenty women and five focus-group discussions. Findings revealed four vulnerability domains: (1) survival stresses— food, water and care-giving disruptions; (2) restricted resource access—land, credit and healthcare; (3) normative constraints on mobility and decision-making that heighten exposure to violence; and (4) institutional fragmentation that limits delivery of gender-responsive relief. Women are mostly vulnerable due to the lack of institutional facilities, social awareness, and the opportunity to have social services, financial accessibilities, and so on. Strengthening local disaster committees with female leadership, bundling climate-smart loans with training, and integrating early-warning, health and legal services could reposition women as frontline climate-resilience actors within district development planning and funding mechanisms. Abolishment of in equal gendered lenses, gendered sensitization of national and local policy and program implementation, etc. could be effective steps to reduce women’s vulnerability.

Keywords

women, climate change, vulnerability, Jamalpur district