1. Gender and Social Vulnerability to Climate Change: A Study of Disaster Prone Areas in Sindh
Dr. Khalida Ghaus & Nadeem Ahmed
Managing Director
Social Policy and Development Centre, Pakistan
CCW, Kathmandu
June 20, 2013

2. Overview The study aims to:
investigate gender dimensions of social vulnerability to climate change
assess the adaptive capacity of men and women at community level and the social capital available to them
formulate a set of gender specific policy recommendations for provincial and district governments
build awareness and understanding among stakeholders
For the purpose of this study, three districts -- Badin, Tharparkar and Dadu -- have been selected based on vulnerability to both floods and droughts; dependence on livelihoods including agriculture and livestock and fishing, and gaps in gender specific research. All three districts are placed low in the Human Development Indices in Pakistan and have been declared disaster-prone districts by the Government of Sindh.
Major research questions
What are the main sources of livelihoods for men and women, and to what extent are these subject to climate variability?
How do women and men view and experience climate change impacts?
What are the social, economic and political factors that contribute to the gender differentiated impacts of climate change?
What has been the contribution of social capital in enhancing adaptive capacity of communities?
What is the institutional capacity of district and provincial governments and CSOs to deal with impacts of climate variability?

3. Theoretical framework
Vulnerability: susceptibility to suffer damage from an environmental extreme and relative inability to recover from that damage [Mustafa, Ahmed and Saroch (2008)]
chronic state of being rather than an outcome of environmental extreme
can be explained by a combination of socio- economic, political and environmental factors [Adger (1999); Brook, Adger & Kelly (2005)]
gender as cross-cutting factor
Without engaging ourselves into definitional debates, which is not focus of this study, we adhere to the definition adopted by Mustafa, Ahmed and Saroch (2008), which defines vulnerability as susceptibility to suffer damage from an environmental extreme and relative inability to recover from that damage and that the vulnerability is more of a chronic state of being rather than an outcome of environmental extreme.
Further, as argued by Adger (1999) and Brook, Adger & Kelly (2005), social vulnerability of a community or individual can be explained or represented by a combination of socio-economic, political and environmental factors.
We take gender as a crosscutting factor that influences the state of men and women being vulnerable through gender Inequalities manifested in the social roles and access to resources, which are determined by legal and cultural norms, institutions, power and decision making in households and communities.
Adaptive capacity refers to the ability of a system to change in a way that makes it better equipped to manage its exposure and sensitivity to climate hazards and or cope with adverse impacts.

4. Theoretical framework
Environmental Factors
(Exposure to hazards)
Socio-economic Factors
(Income, assets, education, empowerment, etc)
Institutional Factors
(social capital, role of civil society, role of government, etc.)
Social Vulnerability
Adaptive Capacity
Gender Dimensions
Gender Inequalities menifested in the social roles and access to resources, determined by legal and cultural norms, institutions, power and decision making in households and communities.

5. Methods Mix of qualitative and quantitative techniques
Analysis of secondary data
Multi-group dialogues
Household and community survey
Focus group discussions (male, female)
Key informant interviews
Vulnerability and Capacities Index
Secondary data will be used to prepare socio-economic profiles of the districts and carry out a trend analysis of climate variability and livelihood systems and practices over the past two or three decades.
A sample survey of both male and female repondants

6. Methods Vulnerability and Capacities Index:
A tool for assessing relative vulnerability of selected communities
Material
Institutional
Attitudinal
Vulnerability will be assessed by looking into various drivers of vulnerability i.e. material factors (assets, sources of income, education, exposure); institutional factors (social networks, infrastructure, warning systems, dependency, etc.); and attitudinal factors (sense of empowerment, knowledge).
VCIs will be constructed at community and household levels.

7. Results Primary survey has recently started
A preliminary set of discussions with groups of farmer (men and women) and multi-group dialogues with stakeholders were held
Some impressions from meetings and focus group discussions are shared here
Caution: these are preliminary observations

8. Results
People have observed significant variation in climate over the years -- increase in rain as well as extreme temperatures during the summer and winter seasons (Secondary data also indicates increasing trend in average temperatures)
Impact of climate change/variability:
People generally do not differentiate the impacts of climate change and that of environmental degradation due to disasters
Some do feel that rising temperatures are also responsible for making the ground dry and decreasing the soil’s water retention rate

9. Results
There have been changes in sources of income over the past few years due to climate variability and disasters
continuous decline in the availability of fresh water led to a decrease in harvesting of various crops
fish ponds have been destroyed as a direct consequence of frequent floods; also impacted livestock raring
switch over to ‘non-farm’ related labour work --- decline in overall income, increased uncertainty
Water scarcity has made cultivation of rice difficult and the farmers now cultivate cotton, which is a cash crop
Rope making was an important economic activity in terms of providing women with a source of income before the floods. The environmental degradation and increase in the alkaline content of the soil has led to a reduction in the growth of plants and trees providing raw material for ropes, thus negatively impacting this source of income as well.
The participants feel that both man-made and natural disasters as reasons for their loss in sources of livelihood.

10. Results
Difference in experiences and impacts of climate change on men and women
women now have to bring water over long distances
During and after floods, the vulnerability of women further increases due to increase in diseases, lack of access to proper sanitation or health facilities and loss of livelihoods
lower literacy level amongst women as compared to men was also identified as one of the factors increasing gender differentiated impacts

11. Results Access to social capital
NGOs helped the communities to cope with the disasters. These interactions have resulted in an increase in social cohesion and social networks
increased focus on education of children in general due to the loss of farming as a livelihood

12. Results
Institutional responses and people’s access to government resources
The farmers, in general, are not very positive about the role of governments to deal with the impact of climate variability and disasters
the district and provincial governments lack detailed mapping and skills that are important for rescue efforts
accountability mechanisms are also poor
The general impression is that the resources were used inappropriately by the government without proper coordination and planning