By: *Eleonora Banfi & Laura Del Duca
In 2023, weather-related hazards such as storms, floods, fires and droughts displaced more than 26 million people. Projections indicate that by 2050, more than 200 million people each year will need humanitarian assistance due to climate-related disasters. Despite these staggering numbers, contingency planning remains largely “care-blind”. That is, such plans fail to address the disproportionate impact of these crises on those with responsibilities to care for children, the elderly, or those with illnesses or disabilities. As the G20 meeting in Brazil approaches, we call on these countries – which represent two-thirds of the global population – to take actions to show that they care about those who care.
Statistics reveal a troubling pattern: G20 countries with the highest gender inequality regarding care responsibilities are also those most at risk from climate change. This intersection of gendered care work and climate risk exacerbates the vulnerability of caregivers – often women and girls (but, over the course of our lives, nearly everyone). Caregivers face additional significant challenges during environmental and climate crises for a wide variety of reasons: Cultural norms might mean their mobility is restricted. They lack information about essential survival skills. They have such limited financial resources that recovery is nearly impossible.
Figure 1: G20 Countries: Time spent on unpaid care and domestic work by women, compared to men(i); and rank in the Global Climate Risk Index 2019.(ii-iii) , Source: Authors’ own, based on OECD and Germanwatch data(iii).
The gendered impact extends beyond physical immobility. There is overwhelming evidence that climate change is fueling disease outbreaks and epidemics, placing additional burdens on caregivers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, women were on the front lines, both in formal health and childcare roles, and in their homes, managing the well-being of children, the elderly, those living with disabilities, and the sick. People with care responsibilities put their health at great risk and often sacrifice economic opportunities, such as paid employment.
Yet, despite the critical role caregivers play during crises, they are rarely included in high-level decision-making processes that influence contingency planning – such as those that will take place at the G20 summit. The absence of caregivers in such processes means that policies often overlook the challenges they face, perpetuating their vulnerabilities and exclusion. To address this, we propose six key pathways in a recently published T20 policy brief.
- Redistribute care responsibilities equitably within communities, reducing the burden on women. This can be achieved through equitable parental leaves policies, investing in childcare public centers and providing resources for the care of people with disabilities and the elderly, allowing for better support for the most vulnerable and enhancing social cohesion.
- Establish shock-responsive social protection. Existing social protection systems often overlook women’s heightened vulnerability during crises due to their caregiving responsibilities. During disasters, women primary caregivers often can not evacuate quickly because they have other people to look after. A shock-responsive social protection system could include rapid financial aid like cash assistance to ensure those with care responsibilities have the means to meet their needs.
- Undertake care-sensitive risk mapping to reveal hidden vulnerabilities. Caregivers take on the extreme vulnerability of those they are caring for – hidden vulnerability that is not often accounted for in contingency planning. Care-sensitive risk mapping would involve identifying these hidden vulnerabilities in a community, informing more effective crisis preparedness and response. In many contingency plans, caregivers are often overlooked as they are assumed to be healthy and mobile. However, they can find it impossible to evacuate quickly. Care-sensitive risk mapping can create specific evacuation plans for caregivers, securing resources and support systems.
- Bring caregiver voices into crisis management. Traditional caretaker voices are indispensable, offering vital knowledge and insights into facilitating aid to the most vulnerable in times of crisis. But persistent, negative perceptions of women’s decision-making abilities, coupled with limited time away from caregiving responsibilities, hinder women caregivers’ influence in developing contingency plans and policies. We recommend local governments to establish advisory councils with caregivers that directly inform disaster responses strategies.
- Share knowledge effectively. Efforts to address gendered disparities in financial access and technology should focus on providing timely information, particularly for women caregivers, to support informed decision-making and preparedness. It is crucial to develop comprehensive training sessions on first aid, water safety, and evacuation procedures to response workers, community leaders, and women in affected areas. This would empower local women leaders to coordinate care efforts and ensure that the entire community is better prepared.
- Integrate gendered care responsibilities as cross-cutting issues in international cooperation. Considering gendered care responsibilities as cross-cutting issues in international cooperation programming and response on climate-related crises enables better understanding and management of disaster risks.
High levels of exposure to disasters cost the G20 countries a combined estimated annual average loss of USD218 billion, setting back development gains. Unless G20 country leadership start to acknowledge caregivers’ critical role in building resilience and their unique vulnerabilities, and to listen to those groups unable or uninvited to join the summit and contribute to the discussion there, G20 policies will continue to leave behind those who care and those who are cared for. They deserve better.
*Laura Del Duca, Policy Fellow at Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and part of SEI’s global Initiative on Gender Equality, Social Equity and Poverty. Laura’s research focuses on gender and power in emergencies and crisis management.
*Eleonora Banfi, Manager of Al Nahda Women’s Studies Unit at the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development. Eleonora’s work focuses on localization of gender agenda and peace and security studies.
This article was originally published on SEI website on the 13th of November 2024.
i. OECD, “Ending Gender-Based Discrimination in G20 Countries: A Frame for Action,” 42–290.
ii. More recent data are not yet available.
iii. Germanwatch, “Global Climate Risk Index 2021,” 37–42.
