1Gender Aspects of Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction1 Why Mainstream Gender in Disaster Management? Session 1 World Bank Institute

22  Gender makes a difference in: Vulnerability to risk Disaster resilience Efficiency and equitability of recovery  Some examples: Different mortality rates Post-disaster psychological distress and coping strategies, Contributions to economic and social reconstruction Disaster experience: did you know? Gender Aspects of Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction

33  Gender concerns: Women’s needs and vulnerabilities, but also Men’s needs and vulnerabilities Capacities and priorities  Concerns relevant to men as a group  If one gender group is affected, the entire community suffers the implications Gender: whom does it concern? Gender Aspects of Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction

44  Socially constructed expectations of the roles and behaviours of males and females  Distinct from the biologically determined aspects of being male and female  Other gender groups What is meant by gender? Gender Aspects of Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction

5 What is meant by mainstreaming?  The process of taking into account the needs, concerns and capacities of all gender groups in disaster planning and in disaster response  Effective mainstreaming spans analysis, policy and operational considerations, including institutional arrangements to monitor disaster recovery practice 5Gender Aspects of Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction

6 Disaster experiences: roles and priorities  Men and women may have different priorities ■Survey evidence from Nicaragua  The aftermath of disaster can also lead to changing gender roles Women assuming traditionally male tasks Men assuming traditionally female tasks  Post disaster policy should recognize this Potential to empower Needs to be sensitive to local conditions 6Gender Aspects of Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction

7 MenWomen  Search & rescue  Less concern for personal safety to benefit community  Risk-taking during infrastructure building and reconstruction  Alcoholism, gambling  Criminal activity, violence, aggression  Family Abandonment  Mobilizing social networks  “Double” duty/ “Triple” duty  Activating women's groups  Organizing communities  Headaches and sleeping disorders Disaster experiences: coping Gender Aspects of Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction

88  Disaster policy should facilitate the realization of capacities: Considering gender dimensions of activities to strengthen disaster resistance Supporting activities traditionally dominated by women Facilitating the potential to contribute in non-traditional ways  The failure to do so can be: Unintentionally discriminative and Economically suboptimal Disaster experiences: capacities Gender Aspects of Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction

99  Understanding why differences arise allows to address them  Some impact differences are biologically defined Acknowledge by providing appropriate nutrition, medical care, sanitary supplies  Many impact differences are socially defined Work to remove constraints that heighten vulnerability and limit opportunity Disaster policy: what can be done? Gender Aspects of Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction

10  Disasters magnify existing patterns in society  Gender is correlated with other factors such as poverty  Human development Nutrition, education, health Relevant in direct and complex ways 10Gender Aspects of Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction Reasons why gender can make a difference

11 More reasons why gender can make a difference  Mobility patterns  Division of labor  Visibility of labor  Influence over decision  Making  Access to psycho-social  Support 11Gender Aspects of Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction

12 Implications  Some costs of ignoring gender Inaccurate damage and needs assessment Holding back development and recovery Exacerbating poverty Intensifying vulnerability Replicating inequality  Some benefits of gender mainstreaming Increasing assessment accuracy Utilizing capacities Strengthening reconstruction and recovery Supporting broader change 12Gender Aspects of Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction