Gender, Risk, and Disaster

TLDR

Gender differences in disaster outcomes are largely driven by childcare responsibilities, poverty, social networks, traditional roles, discrimination, and broader gender stratification. The article aims to synthesize existing literature on gender, risk, and disasters, focusing on gender differences to provide a comprehensive overview of current knowledge. The authors employ a nine‑stage typology of disaster preparedness, impact, and recovery to analyze limited data and identify key findings. The review finds consistent gender differentiation across all stages of the disaster cycle, highlighting implications and offering recommendations for future research.

Abstract

Focusing on gender differences, this article synthesizes the literature on gender, risk, and disasters, and presents a comprehensive view of what is known in this area. Data are limited, yet, by using a nine-stage typology to delineate disaster preparedness, impact, and recovery, noteworthy findings are documented and discussed. The literature reveals a pattern of gender differentiation throughout the disaster process. The differences are largely attributed to childcare responsibilities, poverty, social networks, traditional roles, discrimination, and other issues of gender stratification. The emergent patterns have important implications and recommendations for future directions are offered.