Is Climate Change a Gender Issue? Impact of Climate Change on Women and Children

Mar 18, 2022 | Azera Parveen Rahman
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As the number of vagaries of climate extremes increases, so has the disproportionate burden on women and children, finds growing evidence. Policies, however, are yet to catch up and reflect the sensitivities of the unique impact of climate change on women and children. Talking to Mongabay-India on this subject, Padma Venkataraman, President, Women's Indian Association (WIA), a women's welfare organisation, said that climate policies are not as gender-sensitive because of "lack of awareness." WIA is partnering with a GenderCC-Women for Climate Justice project, GUCCI (Gender Into Urban Climate Change Initiative) to build capacities and make climate policies more gender-sensitive. "In the workshops that we have been conducting with policymakers and government officers on exploring gender and social aspects of climate policies, many officers have agreed that they have never thought about how extreme weather events affect women more," Venkataraman, who is based in Chennai, told Mongabay-India.