Women were excluded in particular from cultural life. Women face many obstacles to accessing, contributing, and engaging fairly in theatre, arts, music, and heritage, in particular, in the agricultural or another livelihood sector in developing rural areas which prevent them from achieving their full potential and impede sustainable social and inclusive growth. While more attention and support is being provided to women in the developed world now, we should remember that there are millions of women who do not have equality and access to basic necessities. This gender gap is compounded by and the effects of climate change. Several studies have been conducted on the impact of climate change between gender, age groups, and geographical areas. When you read a research paper, article or another document on climate change, you’ll see over and over again how women are more vulnerable than men and you may be able to think for a few reasons, but you are not positive, you may not be sure how exactly are they more vulnerable. It may sound basic, but sometimes it’s complicated, and with different paper lying here and there, it may not be easy for all to understand.
This post is written to help you broaden your thoughts, facts, or knowledge that you might already have in your mind. You’ll also find links to some good paper at the end of this article which you may want to read further.
I believe “climate change” resonates in your ears because it is a global issue and a contentious subject that draws attention from government leaders, politicians, academics, and researchers from all over the world. There is an increasing nationwide impact that causes considerable harm and catastrophe, and even life. Women in third world countries suffer the most due to lack of education, awareness, and poverty. Today, Africa occupies the top 10 poorest countries which implies that they are most vulnerable to climate change, requiring international support to combat the impacts of climate change.
Females are named to care for households and children while men feel the “breadwinner”. This split responsibility between men and women hinders women from accessing agricultural equipment, education, and training which are crucial to climate resilience. Furthermore, the legal rights to work for women are not the same as for men and there are only 6 countries in the world that have the same legal right to work for both gender. Job segregation, where men are mistakenly assumed to do a better job than women lowers women ‘s value and opportunity, and most of the positions are highly paid work, meaning women can only get low-paid jobs, increasing their financial vulnerability. Access to education and training, the most important tool for increasing the value of women particularly in rural agricultural areas has been restricted in different parts of the world for many reasons. These are just a few of the gender inequalities faced in various parts of the world which makes women more vulnerable to disaster.
WHAT THEY NEED
As stated, these inequalities hinder women from achieving their potential, rendering them vulnerable to any possible catastrophe, especially related to climate change which is becoming prevalent. It weakens their ability and capacity to cope and adapt to the changes that surround them. In particular, rural areas in developing countries that are mainly dependent on agriculture and livestock because they are poorer with a lack of infrastructure and services. These people rely primarily on agriculture and livestock, so it is very important for women in these countries to be able to get education and training on how to use farm implements and knowledge about agriculture so that they can be resilient and increase their capacity. To reach their potential,
- They need to be given the opportunity to be a leader in the community.
- They should be able to take part in decision-making in relation to the environment.
- They should be granted land rights and ownership just as much as men.
- They should be given the exact same right as men.
- They should be given gender-responsive funding to combat climate change.
- Access to economic resources
This will not only reduce their vulnerability but will also contribute to community development, country development that is crucial in the fight against the impact of climate change.
In the next article, we will address women’s contribution to society, and the role and value of women.
World’s poorest top 10 countries
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