US Agency for International Development (USAID) FACT SHEET: Climate Change and Gender, 2011

Women, who make up the majority of the developing world's 1.4 billion poor, generally have lower incomes, less access to credit and decision-making authority, and limited control over resources, increasing their vulnerability to many climate impacts. The different societal roles and responsibilities of men and women also present different opportunities for incorporating clean energy alternatives into their lives. Climate change projects are more effective when gender is considered. For example, working on disaster risk reduction in South Africa, development experts found that men had greater access to radios, whereas women were more likely to hear forecasts and early warnings if they were delivered through extension workers. Women also have important skills, influence, and knowledge in areas like natural resources management and farming that can be used to improve project design and implementation. Climate change impacts women in many sectors. Women produce a significant portion of the food in developing countries. More frequent and severe drought, flooding, and pest damage due to climate change is expected to reduce crop yields, which could result in less income and food for the household. In many societies, women have the primary responsibility for collecting water and firewood. As climate change exacerbates resource scarcity, women and girls may have to travel farther to collect water and firewood, increasing threats to their safety, decreasing productivity in other areas, like farming, and reducing time available for schooling and child care. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. During and after natural disasters, a woman's role as family caregiver is intensified, potentially leading to exhaustion and illness. Studies have also shown an increase in levels of domestic and sexual violence following disasters. Women are already more vulnerable to undernutrition and have less access to medical services than men; climate change can exacerbate this situation. Changing temperatures alter vectors for diseases like malaria, higher sea-surface temperatures are correlated with cholera epidemics, and more frequent droughts and floods will worsen sanitation and hygiene. In Micronesia, women's ancestral knowledge of the islands' hydrology enabled them to identify good locations for new wells in times of drought. The integration of gender and climate change is crucial for successful development efforts. USAID incorporates gender and climate change into a broad range of activities, including promoting cleaner-burning fuel for household use, integrating gender in watershed management, and involving women in ecosystem services projects and community investment plans.