Capacities of women in disaster management

It is also important to acknowledge and nurture the existing capacities women have, that can contribute to more effective disaster management. This aspect is not as widely accepted into policy and practice. For example, women appear to have stronger social networks than men, which become a vital resource in the response and recovery stages. In re-establishing the domestic environment, women draw on their social networks to procure water, food and a place to sleep for example. The traditional, socially constructed gender roles assigned to women means that they are already central figures in disasters. As such, “at the grass roots level,… women are often well positioned to manage risk due to their roles as both users and managers of environmental resources, as economic providers, and as caregivers and community workers”.

Note: See source document for full reference.

Cultural Factors: Socio-economic status, Gender roles, Social networks

Hazards: Natural hazards, Man-made non-intentional hazards or emergency situations, Man-made intentional hazards

Disaster Phases: Response, Recovery

Types of Actors Concerned: Non-active citizens

Recommendations:

• Empower vulnerable groups (i.e. children, elderly, and people with disabilities) by including them in disaster management decision-making and actions