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5E. EMERGENCY AND DISASTER RESPONSE
54 World Bank (2021), 'Gender Dynamics of Disaster Risk and Resilience', available at: https://www.worldbank.org/ en/topic/disasterriskmanagement/publication/gender-dynamics-of-disaster-risk-and-resilience
55 ZABANIOTOU, A.; PRITSA, A.; KYRIAKOU E. A. (2021), 'Observational Evidence of the Need for Gender-Sensitive Approaches to Wildfires Locally and Globally: Case Study of 2018 Wildfire in Mati, Greece', available at: https://mdpi- res.com/d_attachment/sustainability/sustainability-13-01556/article_deploy/sustainability-13-01556-v4.pdf
56 World Food Programme (2008), 'Socio-Economic and Gender Analysis: SEAGA for Emergency and Rehabilitation Programmes', page 5, available at: https://www.fao.org/3/y5702e/y5702e.pdf
Emergencies and disasters affect women and girls differently than men and boys and often reflect and reinforce gender inequality. The impacts of disasters and emergencies are affected by existing gender dynamics of society, including expectations of ability, gender segregation in first-response professions, and who is involved in training around preparedness and mitigation, as well as the resources and coping abilities that society has attributed to women and men. Gender-differentiated impacts to disasters can increase gender inequality, therefore reducing the resilience to future disasters54. Gender analysis and mainstreaming can help the development of emergency and disaster mitigation and recovery strategies that address the needs of people of all genders effectively: clarifying the specific and often different needs, vulnerabilities and coping strategies of men and women. For example, the World Bank has identified that women in particular face barriers to access information and resources needed to adequately prepare, respond and cope to a disaster. Examples such as the case study below demonstrate that giving women proper training in disaster preparation and emergency response is an important way cities can improve readiness, responsiveness and resilience. Men, on the other hand, are at a much higher risk of death during natural disasters as a result of their overrepresentation among rescue professions: men, for example, account for 70% of flood- related deaths in Europe55.
Women and children are at increased risk of displacement due to conflicts and natural disasters, making up 80% of refugees and internally displaced persons globally56. When displaced, women frequently find themselves stateless and dependent on others. Projects like the city of Berlin s Women s Welcome Bridge have sought to address female refugees heightened risk of isolation and vulnerability to human trafficking by networking them with local female volunteers who assist with official appointments or simply help the new arrivals navigate the new city. Finally, long-term emergency situations also affect women and men differently. The Covid-19 pandemic has an undeniable gender component, with women more likely to leave or lose jobs, more likely to take over home- schooling and child care responsibilities, and more likely to be frontline care workers due to segregated labour markets. The economic burdens of the pandemic also disproportionately affect women, who earn less than men on average due to part-time work, breaks in their careers for parental leave, and the gender pay gap. Cities can play an important role in mitigating the gendered effects of emergencies and natural disasters by gathering gender- disaggregated data about the impacts of natural disasters, critically examining disaster- response strategies for gender stereotypes, and strengthening all residents capacity for action, regardless of gender.
