Mou Rani Sarker and Ranjitha Puskur
“Since my husband left home, I am responsible for everything, such as daily shopping and cooking, household chores, my children’s education – simply everything” said Joynab from the Barishal District of Bangladesh.
Her husband migrated to Chittagong due to riverbank erosion which made their farming unviable. The geographical location, land characteristics, river diversity, and monsoon climate make Bangladesh highly vulnerable to natural catastrophes. Each year, the country faces a slew of natural hazards, including seasonal floods, flash flood, cyclones, heat waves, riverbank erosion, drought, storm surges, and saline intrusion.
The latest IPCC report projected that the country is likely to face extreme heat and humidity, continued rise of sea-level resulting in loss of homes of four million people and threatening effect on industry and agriculture because of climate change. About 1.0 to 2.0 million people of the south of Bangladesh are at risk of displacement by mid-century and a decline in rice production by 12 per cent to 17 per cent.
Women face high demands on their time
Climate change disproportionately affects women, placing a heavy burden on their time and labor, owing to their roles on the farm and in the household. About 48% of women in Bangladesh live in disaster-prone areas. Climate shocks result in income and asset losses for the women and their households, affecting their adaptive capacity negatively.
Women living in these areas face significant vulnerabilities; their coping mechanisms are affected by gender dynamics and power structures both inside and outside the household. They have limited decision-making power and financial resources. They spend time and labour preparing for and adapting to climate shocks.
Time poverty of women is…