Global crises such as gender inequality and climate change are deeply intertwined. Despite climate change being a societal issue, its consequences disproportionately affect the most vulnerable segments of society, particularly women and girls. In many regions of the world, especially in developing countries, climate change exacerbates pre-existing conditions of poverty, undermines access to essential resources such as water, food, and energy, and amplifies structural forms of discrimination. United Nations Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition, Selwin Hart, reported to CNN, “When we look at who’s affected worse, who’s on the frontlines of the climate crisis, it’s primarily women – women in poor and vulnerable countries.”
Indeed, women make up more than 70 percent of people living in poverty. This increased vulnerability stems from entrenched social, economic, and cultural inequalities that still limit women’s autonomy. Women, especially in rural communities in countries in Africa, the Middle East, or Latin America, are the primary procurers of household sustenance, providing water, food, and other basic resources for their families. The food sector is challenged by extreme weather phenomena due to global warming such as droughts, floods, and extreme heat waves. Despite carrying out 75 percent of unpaid care work (about 3.2 times more than men), women are often forced to work harder during crises to safeguard family survival, often in poor health and without access to adequate medical care. Women’s limited access to education, financial resources, and markets further reduces their economic opportunities and increases their exposure to climate-related risks. When families are hit by extreme weather events, girls are often the first to drop out of school to take on caregiving duties for their families. In Nigeria, for example, more than 10 million girls are currently out of school. In contrast, according to sociocultural norms in different countries, men are the ones encouraged or able to seek employment or migrate abroad in search of a better future, leaving women behind to bear the brunt of climate impacts.
The U.N. Women experts have defined climate change as a “threat multiplier” for women and girls living in rural or impoverished contexts, especially in the aftermath of natural disasters. These crises expose them to increased domestic violence, human trafficking, and early marriage, as desperate families sell their daughters’ hands in marriage simply in order to survive. In order to address the negative impact climate change has on gender inequality, inclusive policies are required to recognize the critical role of women in terms of their environmental resilience and adaptation. For example, it is projected that agricultural output yields could increase by up to 30 percent if small-scale women farmers had equal access to production tools as men, thus improving food security and potentially lifting 150 million people out of hunger while reducing emissions. Some countries have been actively implementing environmental policies that include gender equality. For instance, Zimbabwe has introduced a “Renewable Energy Fund” to create job opportunities in the clean energy sector for women. Bhutan has appointed gender referees in ministries to coordinate gender equality with climate policy.
As a result, climate change is not gender-neutral; on the contrary, it amplifies pre-existing inequalities in countries where women are already disproportionately discriminated against and marginalized. The impact is mainly in the care and agriculture sectors, where women play a central role in providing for the welfare of their families. Women stand on the front lines of the climate crisis, shouldering its most severe impacts while remaining largely overlooked in the formulation of climate policy. Addressing climate change and promoting social justice necessitate the integration of gender equality into climate governance. Only through gender responsive climate action can women be not merely protected, but more importantly, empowered as central actors in driving sustainable, inclusive, and systemic change.
