Gender

What does gender have to do with disaster? And why focus on women and girls? Are women’s and men’s lives so different in a disaster? If so, why is this and what does it mean for emergency management? To help answer these questions, the chapter first presents a conceptual framework for gender analysis and a statistical snapshot of gender relations in the contemporary United States. Then, the relevance of gender for disaster vulnerability is examined with respect to health and safety, livelihood, housing and transportation, and decision making. In the following section,

6.1 Chapter Purpose ................................................................................................................... 123 6.2 Objectives .............................................................................................................................124 6.3 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................124 6.4 Demographic Overview ........................................................................................................124 6.5 Definitions and Concepts ...................................................................................................... 126 6.6 Gender Concerns through the Disaster Cycle ...................................................................... 128

6.6.1 Risk Communication and Response to Warnings .................................................... 128 6.6.2 Evacuation................................................................................................................. 130 6.6.3 Impacts and Crisis Response .................................................................................... 131

6.6.3.1 Life, Safety, and Health ............................................................................. 131 6.6.3.2 Shelter and Housing ................................................................................... 133 6.6.3.3 Care Work .................................................................................................. 133 6.6.3.4 Income-Generating Work .......................................................................... 135

6.6.4 Recovery Needs and Responses ............................................................................... 136 6.6.4.1 Help Seeking .............................................................................................. 136 6.6.4.2 Relocation .................................................................................................. 136 6.6.4.3 Marginalization .......................................................................................... 137 6.6.4.4 Women Working Collectively .................................................................... 138

6.7 Do Gender Relations Change in Disasters? .......................................................................... 141 6.8 Working with Women to Build Community Resilience: Strategic and Practical Steps ....... 142

6.8.1 Developing Partnerships to Build Capacity .............................................................. 142 6.8.2 Risk Mapping ........................................................................................................... 144 6.8.3 Gender-Sensitive Programming and Planning ......................................................... 145 6.8.4 Public Education ....................................................................................................... 147 6.8.5 Integrating Women into Emergency Management ................................................... 147

6.9 Summary .............................................................................................................................. 148 6.10 Discussion Questions ............................................................................................................ 148 Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... 149 References ...................................................................................................................................... 149 Resources ....................................................................................................................................... 154

gender concerns are examined through the life cycle of disasters, drawing mainly on events in the United States. The chapter concludes with practical steps toward more effective and equitable emergency management.