Weather, women, bodies, and beyond

Women are seen in relation to their physical bodies – as caregivers to families and communities, contributors to livelihood streams like agriculture, fishing, and daily wage, and even as primary victims of climate impacts. The threats attached to women are immediately and solely seen in relation to their bodies and sexuality. This is true, as displacement caused as a consequence of disasters makes women more vulnerable because of their high dependence on natural resources, low sources of income, and lack of access to public and cultural institutions. This insecurity is known best to women who, as a consequence of flooding, not only face physical harm but also household-level breakdowns as men have to move away looking for better livelihood opportunities. 

Zerin Ahmed from Dhaka is a young river activist who has also been working with Oxfam in Bangladesh. Zerin has continued to keep in touch with the women she has met living along the flood-affected villages in downstream Brahmaputra. Out of the innumerable stories, she speaks of women who have lost their childhood homes and villages to the floods. The impact of displacement is both physically and mentally draining on women, she adds. Women and girls who are suddenly pushed out of their safe spaces of homes and community have to deal with the trauma and insecurity of facing the fear of physical, sexual, and mental vulnerability. 

The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports have been validating these local experiences through their publications. The 2012 IPCC report warned us about global warming and unpredictable precipitation leading to more destructive and frequent floods. Even as early as 1990, the IPCC had pointed to migration as the greatest consequence of climate change. This is evident across many rural communities but even more so along river communities. Unpredictable rainfall patterns and flood displacements force the men especially to migrate, looking for alternative livelihood opportunities. Kriti Shrestha, from Practical Action in Nepal, has been working on climate change in Nepal. She has worked with women along the Gandak River (Ganga) and reiterated this very point on migration. She added how, following male migration, it is observed that women are suddenly pushed into public spaces. The women who are left behind have an increase in burden and responsibilities – looking after their homes and their communities. Too often, these women who have to move outside the home space for daily activities, face moral policing and are criticised by the older generation. Women who want to participate in public meetings and community services become the subject of gossip. The mental stress that women and girls face is multi-layered and arises out of all forms of vulnerabilities. While mental health issues in women are mostly studied with reference to disaster relief and post destruction, we must work towards normalising discussion on mental health at all levels of society, and not only as a last relief measure.