ABSTRACT

Understanding disasters as social phenomenon has become widely accepted in the research field. Disaster impacts communities, families, and individuals differently based on race, ethnicity, class, age, and gender. In order to increase resiliency and sustainability, allowing opportunities for livelihoods to be regained, emergency management agencies must remember the social nature of disasters and account for this in their planning. It has become clear that the specific differences in circumstances and behavior attributed to gender are not adequately understood or addressed by the emergency management profession, resulting in less successful outcomes for all (Seager 2005/2006). Developing an understanding of how gender influences disaster experiences and what actions can be taken to reduce negative outcomes, such as the loss of livelihood, should be on the agenda of every emergency management professional.