Why Climate Change Disproportionally Impacts Women

Jul 25, 2022 | Demetria Dickinson
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A number of recent studies show that the negative effects of climate change fall disproportionately on women, caused by and compounding long-standing effects of sexism and institutionalized disparities around the world. 

According to the report Accelerating the Race to Net Zero Through Gender Equity, released in April 2022 by Aon and Women+ in Climate Tech, women globally are 14 times more likely to die in climate events and four times more likely to be displaced because of climate. This disparity, and the discrimination that causes it, has had a negative effect on workforce resiliency and bottom lines, researchers note.

While we may now have more data than ever to illustrate the climate gender gap, the work to fix the issue is still in its early stages. Some analysts suggest that companies can boost their workforce and climate resiliency by increasing the number of women in leadership positions.