Gender aspect of disaster management in India Sinha Amit1*, Srivastava Rajlaxmi2, Panda Ashish K.3 1Assistant Professor, Institute of Management, Commerce and Economics, Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University, Lucknow- Deva Road, Uttar Pradesh, India 2Associate Professor, Institute of Management, Commerce and Economics, Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University, Lucknow- Deva Road, Uttar Pradesh, India 3Faculty, NIDM, New Delhi, India *Corresponding author email id: ameetsinha@yahoo.com
Online Published on 20 May, 2022. Abstract Women in our society are more vulnerable, especially during disasters. The impact of disaster contributes to women’s preexisting vulnerabilities in their daily lives. These vulnerabilities are exacerbated in the aftermath of disasters. The data on gender facts available clearly point to the issue of gender inequality in India. When it comes to resource allocation, daily job roles of earning a living, or even using available resources for the family, the various role definitions of male and female in day to day life show that they are favourably titled towards male population. India can boast of vast geographical diversity such as long sea coasts, extreme desert conditions, snow-clad high mountain peaks, and fertile plains full of rivers. However, due to above-average climate changes in these respective regions, India becomes vulnerable to calamities associated with these geographical diversities. In the event of a natural disaster, the role of the female as a victim of the event as well as a partner in the process of repairing and rebuilding the affected area cannot be overlooked. As a victim, they face additional hardships in the form of resource scarcity, because everything is prioritised for male members, and females only have access to food or medical relief at the bottom of the support ladder. Furthermore, during calamities and disasters, they bear the additional burden of caring for children, arranging and securing food and water, caring for ailing or injured family members, and so on. Safety of females remains a big cause of concern in such situation. There is ample scope for women’s participation and empowerment in Disaster Risk Management and Mitigation programmes at all levels to reduce society’s vulnerability and capability to return to normalcy in a shorter time span. The proposed paper seeks to identify areas in disaster management where females can be protected and can be banked upon to support the development process in affected areas with limited resources. Top Keywords Gender, Disaster management, Impact of disaster, Disaster risk management, Empowerment of women. Top |