Climate Vulnerability: Another Barrier to Women’s Progress in the Middle East
Discussion of the exacerbation of social inequalities is inescapable in the literature describing social, political, and economic consequences resulting from climate change. In the sphere of international relations, this conversation typically comes up as a way to explain culpability, victimhood, and eventuality: which states should take the most blame for this largely anthropogenic disaster, which states are most affected, and how must the process of mitigation proceed? However, as the inequalities of climate change become more visible as its effects manifest, a growing body of recent international debate has been dedicated to researching who— at various subnational levels— is particularly vulnerable to mounting climate danger. Climate change vulnerability, or “the degree to which a system is susceptible to, and unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes," takes on an important lens of analysis in the social perspective, as it is already known that disadvantaged populations are at greater risk of bearing the brunt of negative climate effects.
In a world where roughly 70% of the world’s impoverished are women, the factors which contribute to disparities in climate change vulnerability among social groups are especially prominent when comparing genders. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the unequal status of women throughout society heightens their vulnerability to the dangers that come with a changing climate. Like other disadvantaged groups, women in the MENA region struggle to adapt to climate dangers as a result of their relative inability to access and control the resources on which they depend for autonomy.
Despite a regional labor force participation rate of around 20%, women in the MENA region account for a disproportionately large share of the agricultural labor force. More than 60% of agricultural laborers are female in countries such as Jordan, Libya, Syria, and the occupied Palestinian territory, though women hold ownership of only 5% of this land. Gender-based social marginalization produces a reality wherein women experience disparate access to education, food, and political and decision-making institutions despite their involvement in indispensable agricultural, domestic, and social services.
Cultural traditions prevalent in parts of the MENA region exacerbate the particular vulnerability of women to climate disasters. Participation in activities like swimming and tree climbing, which possess utility in the midst and aftermath of climate disasters, is often segregated on the basis of gender. Additionally, cultural norms codifying women’s reliance on men for mobility can increase mortality during disasters. When a woman is required to ask for permission from or accompaniment by a male to leave her home, she may be unable to reach safety during a crisis. Similarly, socially and legally-enforced standards of modesty for women increase preparation required before evacuation. In a situation where each second counts, these standards have the potential to contribute to a disproportionate loss of life for women in MENA climate disasters.
Various studies predict that MENA will be among the world regions worst-hit by negative impacts of climate change, intensifying the risks to vulnerable social groups in the region. Assertions that the region will be the first in the globe to run out of fresh water generate concerns that women, whose regional participation in the agricultural workforce has grown from 35% to 48% from 1980 to 2010 and continues to climb, may bear significant burdens as the nature of subsistence farming is challenged by drought and environmental disaster.
As water scarcity drives food insecurity and other resource-related challenges, the resultant exacerbation in inequality may lead to an increase in trafficking of women and children, who are especially vulnerable to coercion in dire economic situations. A climate action plan published by the UN Environment Programme explains that economic “push factors” are particularly dangerous for women, as the temporary shelters they and their children often pass through in search of better living conditions are hubs for gender-based violence— sources of victims for traffickers to exploit. Women in distress are often coerced or duped into human trafficking or sex work; an ActionAid study found that women battling food insecurity are as much as 80% more likely to engage in sex in exchange for money or other necessary resources.
As interactions of climate change and social inequities expose the gender divide in climate change vulnerability, action to reconcile initial marginalization may be key to protecting women in the Middle East from the effects of predicted climate disasters. Their increasing specialization in agriculture, comparatively smaller contributions to pollution, and overall tendency to support environmentally conscious policies provide hope that, if given the agency to work toward mitigating the effects of climate change, women are well suited to provide informed and innovative strategies to create change benefiting all members of global society. As long as gender inequality persists within the MENA region and elsewhere, social disparities in climate change vulnerability will remain prevalent and damaging.
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