Abstract
Background
The acknowledgement of the gendered impact of climate change by national adaptation plans (NAPs) remains unclear.This study aimed to investigate how the health, wellbeing and welfare of women are accounted for in climate NAPs published by 163 countries worldwide and explore the key thematic areas where the needs of women have been considered.
Methods
NAPs were analysed across ten domains: health, gender-based violence, education, economy, power, food, environment, Emergency Preparedness, Resilience, and Response, and research and policy and 15 subdomains. Quantitative scoring used a 4-level Likert scale (none, minimal, some and substantial) for a maximum of 75 points. Content analysis was undertaken to identify themes for women’s inclusion.
Results
Overall, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean achieved the highest total scores (median 7.0 points), whilst Central Asia and East Asia and the Pacific achieved the lowest total scores (median 1.5 and 2.5 points, respectively). At country level, the total score ranged from 0 points for 43 countries to 56 points in Bangladesh, which achieved the highest score. The median score was 28 points. The quality analysis identified the inclusion of women in policy making, the consideration of gender as an important determinant of vulnerability, and the collection and of gender-disaggregated data. Women’s vulnerability was considered across four themes: biophysiological, socioeconomic, type of work, and gender inequalities.
Conclusions
Consideration of women’s health, wellbeing and welfare in NAPs worldwide remains limited with a significant number of countries lacking any mention to women or gender, especially high-income countries. Further research is warranted to investigate whether policy commitments in NAPs are implemented and translate into improvement of women’s lives and livelihoods.
Key messages
• Consideration of women’s health, wellbeing, and welfare remains limited in National Adaptation Plans with 43 countries lacking any mention to women’s health and wellbeing.
• Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South America and the Caribbean perform better than High-Income Countries.