| Syllabus: GS-III, Subject: Environment, Ecology and Disaster Management, Topic: Global Warming and Climate Change, Issue: Climate Change |
Disproportionate impact of climate change on women
- Climate-driven crop yield reductions worsen food insecurity, particularly affecting women in agriculture-dependent livelihoods.
- Women in drought-prone districts face higher rates of underweight, intimate partner violence, and girl marriages.
- Prolonged heatwaves pose health risks among women.
- Air pollution disproportionately affects women’s health and affects cognitive growth in unborn children.
The way ahead:
- Adaptation measures must consider rural and urban differences in exposure to heat, air pollution, and access to water and food.
- Converging sectors and services at the village level can effectively prioritize climate actions.
- State action plans on climate change should apply a gender lens,
- Recognize women as agents of change and implementing gender-transformative strategies for equitable adaptation.
| +1 advantage for mains (Data points):
·                Women and children are 14 times more likely than men to die in disasters. (UNDP) ·                Women in drought-prone districts face higher rates of underweight, intimate partner violence, and girl marriages (NFHS-5). ·                75% of Indian districts are vulnerable to hydro-met disasters, with over half of women and children at risk (CEEW 2021). ·                When provided with the same access to resources as men, women increased their agricultural yields by 20% to 30%. |
