Gender, Climate Change and Health

Climate change has significant impacts on human health. Global warming, rising sea levels and extreme weather events, alongside with increasing rainfalls in some regions and higher frequency and intensity of droughts in other parts of the world cause a multitude of effects on public health. These include the threats posed by coastal flooding, malnutrition and reduced drinking water availability, as well as the occurrence of heat stress and the spreading of water-borne and vector-borne diseases. Air-pollution related health effects like respiratory diseases are also increasing.

Gender Dimension

Women and men can be harmed in different ways. Because male and female bodies are differently vulnerable, the resulting needs for health services and health care can be gender-specific. For example, men and women differ in their response to extreme heat. Women would sweat less, have a higher metabolic rate and have thicker subcutaneous fat that prevents them form cooling themselves as efficiently as men. Women would be therefore less able to tolerate heat stress.

Changes in temperature and rainfall patterns give disease vectors the possibility to increase. Children and pregnant women are particularly susceptible to diseases that thrive in such conditions such as diarrhoea and cholera.

These physiological differences are increased and accompanied by social factors and gender-specific exposure patterns. Due to the reported correlation between women’s status in society and the probability of them getting access to public healthcare it can be assumed that in periods of increasing pressure on societies negative consequences on women’s health will aggravate.

Cultural restrictions on mobility of women and girls and their responsibilities as caregivers often hinder them to seek appropriate healthcare for themselves. The role as primary caregivers, responsible for the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of their families, can cause mental stress for women in the events of disasters.

Response

There is an urgent need to invest in information and education programmes, designing them with a gender perspective. Departments of health, environment and family should collaborate to identify country-specific health impacts of climate change, the related stress put on women, children and the elderly, and associated financial burdens. Further research on health and climate change needs to deliver gender-disaggregated data, otherwise the appropriate preventive actions and provision of health care services cannot be ensured.

	Home l Press l Databases l Sitemap l Contact l Impressum Action < Health Policy Action Resources Network Campaigns Agriculture Biodiversity Consumption Coastal Zones Disaster Energy Forests Health Migration Tourism Transport Water Login User Gender, Climate Change and Health Climate change has significant impacts on human health. Global warming, rising sea levels and extreme weather events, alongside with increasing rainfalls in some regions and higher frequency and intensity of droughts in other parts of the world cause a multitude of effects on public health. These include the threats posed by coastal flooding, malnutrition and reduced drinking water availability, as well as the occurrence of heat stress and the spreading of water-borne and vector-borne diseases. Air-pollution related health effects like respiratory diseases are also increasing. Gender Dimension Women and men can be harmed in different ways. Because male and female bodies are differently vulnerable, the resulting needs for health services and health care can be gender-specific. For example, men and women differ in their response to extreme heat. Women would sweat less, have a higher metabolic rate and have thicker subcutaneous fat that prevents them form cooling themselves as efficiently as men. Women would be therefore less able to tolerate heat stress. Changes in temperature and rainfall patterns give disease vectors the possibility to increase. Children and pregnant women are particularly susceptible to diseases that thrive in such conditions such as diarrhoea and cholera. These physiological differences are increased and accompanied by social factors and gender-specific exposure patterns. Due to the reported correlation between women’s status in society and the probability of them getting access to public healthcare it can be assumed that in periods of increasing pressure on societies negative consequences on women’s health will aggravate. Cultural restrictions on mobility of women and girls and their responsibilities as caregivers often hinder them to seek appropriate healthcare for themselves. The role as primary caregivers, responsible for the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of their families, can cause mental stress for women in the events of disasters. Response There is an urgent need to invest in information and education programmes, designing them with a gender perspective. Departments of health, environment and family should collaborate to identify country-specific health impacts of climate change, the related stress put on women, children and the elderly, and associated financial burdens. Further research on health and climate change needs to deliver gender-disaggregated data, otherwise the appropriate preventive actions and provision of health care services cannot be ensured. Downloads Climate Change, Health and Gender Factsheet by genanet and WECF WHO-Factsheet: Gender and Health in Disasters Links Health Canada: Climate Change & Health Workshop Summary Reports Global Climate Change and Women's Health by Kirsty Duncan Who we are gendercc – women for climate justice is the global network of women and gender activists and experts from all world regions working for gender and climate justice. Send page Print Copyright © 2008 gender cc l All Rights Reserved