The Importance of Women's Roles in Adaptive Capacity and Resilience to Flooding in Rural Bangladesh
Publisher: International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
Author(s): Md J. Azad and Bill Pritchard
Date: 2023
Topics: Disasters, Gender
Countries: Bangladesh
In rural Bangladesh, patriarchal gendered norms aggravate the vulnerability of women to disasters such as floods because of male dominance in access to resources and decision-making. Furthermore, these processes can render invisible women's vital roles in flood preparedness, response, rehabilitation, and recovery. A first step in addressing such gender-based inequalities in disaster contexts is to recognise and acknowledge the varied contributions made by women when a flood strikes. This paper sets out a framework to document women's roles in building adaptive capacity and resilience to floods in rural Bangladesh, using testimony evidence from 20 Focus Group Discussions in the highly flood-prone area of Sirajganj District in north-western Bangladesh.