Women in the Midst of the Climate Crisis

A mother is seen carrying her child while doing household chores in this photo taken in 2019. Photo by Mark Z. Saludes

Note: This article first came out of the environmental media outfit Oeconomedia. on November 4, 2021. It also appeared in Licas News and the World Mission Magazine.

I had the opportunity to talk about women and climate in the Philippines in a COP26 side event through the Climate Café held at Glasgow Kelvin College. I mainly recalled my experience a few years ago, while working in a large-scale Haiyan Recovery Program, covering Housing, Health, Sanitation, Livelihood, Education, and DRR. The program spanned seven municipalities on the island of Panay. Leading the performance and accountability team, I have seen firsthand what challenges women had to go through to access support. But that is only the tip of the iceberg of women’s problems relating to climate change. 

Investing in Women and Girls is Investing in the World

https://share.america.gov/why-do-more-women-than-men-live-poverty/

Last year, estimates showed that there were 100 women for every 101 men. Women then comprise roughly half of the world’s population. However, globally, compared to men, women suffer more and multiple challenges including socio-cultural marginalization, gender income disparity, and lack of voice and agency. How is it that we are not considering it a global emergency that women and girls are not receiving the support they need to thrive and achieve their full potential? We are talking about almost half the population of the world.