Gender disparities and climate change: A grounded study from Okara

Authors

  • Tehreem Murtaza BS Student, International Relations, University of Okara, Punjab, Pakistan Author
  • Riffat Ashraf MS Scholar, International Relations, Lahore College for Women University, Punjab, Pakistan Author
  • Muhammad Umar Ashfaq LLM, Commercial and Corporate law, University of London Author
  • Adil Ahmad Lecturer, International Relation, University of Okara, Punjab, Pakistan Author

Keywords:

Climate Change, Gender Inequalities, Okara, Feminism, Women Rights

Abstract

Climate change doesn’t need passport as it does not respect borders. Similarly, climate change doesn’t respect any gender, it disregards gender equality. The impacts of climate change differ from person to person. The Women impacted rate by climate change is out of proportion, making it an important universal feminist problem that calls the worldwide attention. In Pakistan, climate induced vulnerabilities are affecting both genders. It was mainly due to socially constructed roles and responsibilities of male and female. Further, these vulnerabilities and capacities differ on the basis of gender, location, time, resources, social positions and geophysical locations. Culturally there is a clear gender division of labor in responding to disasters too. The roles and responsibilities have differences between men and women in preparation, responding, and recovering from disasters. In This study underscores the disproportionate impact of climate change on women (Primarily Okara city) due to their socioeconomic status and societal responsibilities and biological differences, emphasizing the need for gender-sensitive climate policies. 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Arora-Jonsson, S. (2011). Virtue and vulnerability: Discourses on women, gender, and climate change. Global Environmental Change, 21(4), 744-751. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.01.002

Asif, U., Ahmad, A. M., Javed, M. A., & Minallah, M. N. u. (2023). Groundwater quality and quantity analysis for irrigation purposes in Okara, Sahiwal and Khanewal districts of Punjab, Pakistan. Geography, Environment, Sustainability, 16(4), 105–119. https://doi.org/10.24057/2071-9388-2023-2901

Aslam, M. (2024). Health implications of climate change for women in rural Pakistan: The case of water scarcity and maternal mortality. Environmental Health Perspectives, 132(3), 045004. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7243

Berninger, M. (2024, January 16). Climate change impacts women more. We must legislate to protect their health. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/01/women-health-climate-change/

Dessy, S., Tiberti, L., Tiberti, M., & Zoundi, D. A. (2021). Polygyny and farm households' resilience to climate shocks. Policy Research Working Paper No. 9663. The World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-9663

Eastin, Joshua, 2018. "Climate change and gender equality in developing states," World Development, Elsevier, Vol. 107(C), pages 289-305.

Greenstone, M., & Fan, Q. (2019, February). Pakistan’s air pollution challenge & potential for longer lives. Air Quality Life Index. https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Pakistan-Report.pdf

International Water Management Institute. (n.d.). Pakistan. IWMI. Retrieved May 7, 2025, from https://www.iwmi.org/where-we-work/pakistan/

Jamali, M. (2025, May 29). Climate change: Challenges and opportunities for women in Balochistan. South Asia Journal. https://southasiajournal.net/climate-change-challenges-and-opportunities-for-women-in-balochistan/

Memon, S. (2020). Gender-based violence during climate-related disasters: A case study in flood-affected Sindh, Pakistan. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 12(1), 85-100. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-10-2019-0204

Meteoblue. (2025). Climate change Okara. Retrieved May 29, 2025, from https://www.meteoblue.com/en/climate-change/okara_pakistan_1168718

Ministry of Climate Change. (2012). National climate change policy. Government of Pakistan. https://mocc.gov.pk/PolicyDetail/NGMxZDlmOGYtNWE5NC00ZWUxLWFlOGYtZWRmNTYwZjUzYjQ0

Nasa. (n.d.). Evidence. NASA Science. Retrieved May 7, 2025, from https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/evidence/

Neumayer, E., & Plümper, T. (2007). The Gendered Nature of Natural Disasters: The Impact of Catastrophic Events on the Gender Gap in Life Expectancy, 1981–2002. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 97(3), 551–566. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8306.2007.00563.x

Nizami, S., & Ali, S. (2017). Gendered impacts of male migration due to climate change in the Pakistani highlands. Asian Journal of Environmental Studies, 14(3), 201-218. https://doi.org/10.1080/21583717.2017.12310

Punjab Board of Investment & Trade. (n.d.). Environment. Urban Unit. Retrieved May 29, 2025, from https://pbit.gop.pk/system/files?file=10.%20Environment%20_compressed_1.pdf

Reuters. (2022, June 14). In Jacobabad, the hottest city on Earth, mothers bear brunt of climate change. Dawn. https://www.dawn.com/news/1694778

Sarah L. McKune, Erica C. Borresen, Alyson G. Young, Thérèse D Auria Ryley, Sandra L. Russo, Astou Diao Camara, Meghan Coleman, Elizabeth P.

Ryan, Climate change through a gendered lens: Examining livestock holder food security,Global Food Security,Volume 6,2015,Pages 1-8,ISSN 2211-9124, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2015.05.001.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii

The Newspaper's Staff Reporter. (2024, February 22). Women are more affected by climate change than men, moot told. Dawn. https://www.dawn.com/news/1816062

Un Women. (2022, February). Explainer: How gender inequality and climate change are interconnected. UN Women. https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/explainer/2022/02/explainer-how-gender-inequality-and-climate-change-are-interconnected

Undp Pakistan. (2022, February 2). UNDP Pakistan and NCSW hold provincial consultations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to gauge the gendered impact of climate change. United Nations Development Programme. https://www.undp.org/pakistan/press-releases/undp-pakistan-and-ncsw-hold-provincial-consultations-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-gauge-gendered-impact-climate-change

Waheed, Z. (2023, December 8). Climate change's greatest victims are women and girls. Unicef South Asia. https://www.unicef.org/rosa/blog/climate-changes-greatest-victims-are-women-and-girls

Zhu, Y., He, C., Bell, M., Zhang, Y., Fatmi, Z., Zhang, Y., Zaid, M., Bachwenkizi, J., Liu, C., Zhou, L., Chen, R., & Kan, H. (2023). Association of ambient temperature with the prevalence of intimate partner violence among partnered women in low- and middle-income South Asian countries. Jama Psychiatry. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.1958.

Downloads

Published

2025-05-29

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Issue

Section

Articles

Categories