Climate Change and Gender Gaps: An Intersection of Socioeconomic Risks

Summary

The impacts of climate change on people are not uniform across the population. Gaps in access to income, assets, and decision-making power mean that the effects of climate change can amplify existing structural inequalities, including those related to gender.

Key points

• Key points:
• Evidence of differentiated impacts from disasters can be seen in Mexico: according to the most recent Population and Housing Census, 24,714 people permanently relocated due to natural hazards between 2015 and 2020. Of these, 45.5% were men and 54.5% were women.
• International studies have also found that the occurrence of climate-related events such as landslides, hurricanes, and floods is associated with increases in intimate partner violence against women. These dynamics are often linked to the economic insecurity and deterioration of living conditions that follow such events.
• The effects of climate change on maternal health have also been documented. Research shows that exposure to heatwaves increases the probability of preterm births by 26%, while the risk of congenital conditions may rise by as much as 48%.
• Women’s participation in decision-making bodies within rural forest communities has also been associated with greater prioritization of sustainable resource management. Nevertheless, important challenges remain both in Mexico and globally. In Mexico, only 25.9% of individuals holding ejidal or communal land titles are women.
• Inequalities in access to the labor market may also affect women’s economic resilience in the face of extreme climate events. In Mexico, women earn on average 19.9% less than men. In this context, the development of care systems can serve a dual purpose: facilitating women’s participation in the labor market while also functioning as a mechanism for adaptation to climate change.

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