From natural risk to social justice: The influence of natural threats on gender inequality

Abstract

Climate change and global warming are major modern challenges, while gender inequality has been a social issue throughout the history of humankind. This study attempts to investigate how natural threats influence gender inequality. The study estimates the influence of the likelihood of suffering harms due to natural hazards on gender inequality in education, health, employment, and rights for a sample of 130 countries from 2011 to 2019. Natural threats appear to reduce the proportions of waged and salaried female workers in comparison with males, while inducing higher levels of self-employment among women. Natural threats increase gender inequality in education at both primary and tertiary levels. Natural threats seem to decrease the health status of men more than that of women, which is reflected in increased ratios of female/male life expectancy or survival to age 65. Natural threats are, surprisingly, found to improve women’s rights.