Of Climate, Communities and Commons: A Gendered Perspective

Much of development policy and planning, particularly when it comes to preparedness to tackle climate change, has been “gender blindGender blind.” This requires immediate attention, as we stand threatened by both the short and long-term impacts of climate change and climate vulnerabilities. Gendered vulnerabilitiesGendered vulnerabilities, accentuated by interlinkages of physical factors to social relations and hierarchies, will manifest through disproportionate impact on women who are pre-disposed owing to their household provisioning roles. These impacts are likely to be higher with social and ecological disruptions that will affect community resilienceCommunity resilience. By social disruption, I indicate a breakdown in collective institutions, changing power relations and fragmentation of local knowledge systems. By ecological disruption, I indicate vanishing commons and other ecological risks like loss of biodiversity. A gendered analysisGendered analysis of adaptation responses reinforces the significance of women’s everyday experiences and knowledge systems in coping with adversities. A multi-scalar analysis deems it extremely significant for meso (related institutions of the state and government policies) and micro-level institutions to be gender responsive and create democratic spaces for women’s participation. At the local level, the embeddedness of gender power relationsPower relations in social, institutional and cultural contexts calls for cultural departures with shifts in gender relations.