Gender differences among Afar pastoralists in vulnerability to climate change

Researchers at Mekelle University, Ethiopia, investigated factors that determine the level of vulnerability to climate change and adaptive capacity among Afar men and women pastoralists. The results are reported in the article “Traditional gender inequalities limit pastoral women’s opportunities for adaptation to climate change: evidence from the Afar pastoralists of Ethiopia” (Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice 2018 8:23) by Selam Balehey et al. They found that gender inequality is inherent in Afar customary patriarchal traditions and institutions, which make women more vulnerable than men to food insecurity induced by climate change. Women own less wealth, inherit less, have less decision-making power at household and community level, less opportunities for community-level participation, and less household expenditure devoted to them than men, among other factors. Yet the women make higher contributions to household-level adaptation to recurrent drought and weather variability. The authors conclude that a gendered approach that recognises differences in potentials, limitations and vulnerabilities between men and women is important for successful implementation of adaptation measures.

Posted on 29 September 2018 in Pastoralism & Climate Change, Pastoralism, Gender & Youth