Gendered vulnerabilities in South Asia

The impacts of climate change on various genders show differential vulnerabilities in Southern Asia, where the custom of patriarchy and gender-based responsibilities exist [12]. Women and intersectional groups are subjected to the limited resources that impinge on their decision-making ability, especially during climate-induced extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, cyclones, etc [13]. Men, especially from poor socio-economic strata of society, experience difficulty through disruption in livelihoods, and their traditional roles get jumbled up when agricultural practices and natural resources become the inevitable victims of climate change. Male migration has been reported in many parts of South Asia as a strategy to adapt to rapidly changing climatic conditions [8]. In these situations, women are left behind to care for the economy, household chores, and older people and children [14]. At the same time, men toil in urban locations in sub-human conditions. The existing climate change adaptation attempts in South Asia inherently provoke the importance of efficiently addressing a gender-specific climate vulnerability. A study reveals that women’s involvement in community-based adaptation practices helps make women more resilient to the consequences of climate change—gendered vulnerabilities in South Asia bound by societal constraints and limits to adaptation [4, 15].

Social constraints and limits to adaptation

Limited mobility and decision-making power faced by women in South Asia may hinder their access to climate information and community participation–based adaptation initiatives, thus contributing to their disadvantaged position on the issue of climate change [12]. Furthermore, men face societal stigmatisation and resistance when they attempt non-traditional adaptive practices [16], which reinforces their inability to deal with the impacts of climate change due to social constraints and limits to adaptation that can compound gendered vulnerabilities found in South Asia [17].

While attention towards gender-specific security has increased among South Asian countries, most strategies for adapting are not designed considering other biophysical/economic/ technical constraints [18, 19]. Irrespective of sex, biophysical constraints like water shortages or soil health can impede interventions from having any effect [20]. Poverty, restriction of access to credit, and economic barriers like poverty or limited access to credits are other constraints, including marginalisation and lack of resources, which are part of this multipronged challenge. Technical constraints, like being unable to access climate data or infrastructure development below the recommended level, may also become more severe [21, 22]. Establishing the constraints resulting in inefficient adaptation approaches that do not attach to the core of vulnerability and resilience issues of South Asia could be the result [23].

Overall, multifaceted gender vulnerabilities in South Asia are complex and layered; nature, society, economy, and how the infrastructure operates make them more complicated [4]. This sensitive issue requires being recognised and processed through appropriate approaches in future climate change adaptation planning. By treating the confluence of biases with gender and suggesting social protection and adaptation limits, the measure targeting the southern region of Asia can be more effective and fair. Nevertheless, other vital aspects should be considered, such as biophysical, economic, and technological constraints linked to adaptation planning and implementation [24]. Using an all-inclusive and pluralistic approach [25], climate change adaptation in South Asia could suggest the origin of more sustainable and equitable development, which would link the regions [26].

Theoretical anchoring: Climate justice vs gender justice

Climate justice is the unequal distribution of impacts of climate change, ensuring that climate action and solutions are based on a vision of equity and justice for the needs of the marginalised [27]. Gender justice, however, concerns itself with the challenges of gender-based inequality and discrimination, advocating for gender equality, and empowering people of women [28]. Climate justice and gender justice are thus closely connected [27]. First, climate change and gender inequality are most strongly felt by the most vulnerable people living on the margins of society. The brunt of climate change impacts often falls upon women and intersectional groups in South Asia since the women provide the household food, water, and fuel. In disasters, women will also face intensified hazards and livelihood losses. They have limited access to resources; thus, women are at the forefront. In addition, uplifting women from poverty and empowering them for climate resilience and sustainable development is pivotal [29].

Secondly, the struggle for climate justice necessitates challenging patriarchal power systems—those that maintain and sustain gender inequality. Women’s voices and perspectives are part of the climate policy and decision-making process. Gender justice, starting from the climate discourse, ensures women’s and marginalised section’s inclusion in decision-making, participation, and leadership from the local communities up to the international level. Climate justice also reaches to environmental inequities and other social, economic, and racial inequities [30]. Gender justice acknowledges the intertwined relationship between gender-based discrimination and other forms of oppression, such as classism, racism, and ableism. A just and sustainable future requires a transformative approach that addresses these multi-dimensional dimensions of injustice. However, climate justice is not gender justice. Although they both seek social justice and equity, their focuses and approaches are not similar. Climate justice deals with inequality concerning environmental risks and benefits, while gender justice aims at ending discrimination against women. They are equally essential and call for intersectional lenses [31]. In the realm of climate justice, gender justice encompasses a broader spectrum that goes beyond mere discrimination against women. Expanding our focus to include various dimensions of gender equity can enrich the discourse and promote more inclusive solutions [32, 33].

Breaking the Mold: Understanding South Asian gender dynamics and adaptive strategies

South Asia is well known to be rich in diversity in terms of culture and communities with varied characteristics. At its core is the complex nature of gender relations, which have greatly influenced people’s lives and societies. In most cases within the region, traditional patriarchal systems determined norms that governed everything from resource allocation to decision-making processes and succession planning [34]. Nevertheless, nuanced realities that vary from one region to another exist beneath. South Asian societies are faced with patriarchy but still experience different manifestations of gender inequality. These inequalities impede the individual’s freedom of will and make it harder for everyone to collaborate toward resilience and adaptation when facing challenges like climate change [35].

Among these complexities, women become more vulnerable based on their gender. Because of societal constraints, they cannot move around or have a say on matters concerning climate, which limits them from engaging with climate information, participating in adaptation initiatives, or exploring alternative livelihoods [36]. This is because such individuals try to defy tradition, which has made them subject matter to stigma and even more so as society normatively defines “gender roles” as rigid boundaries. However, women and other intersectional communities exhibit resilience against climatic stressors by leveraging social networks and employing innovative approaches [37]. Women are the primary caregivers and resource managers; thus, they have valuable knowledge about sustainable practices. Nevertheless, this does not give them decision-making authority; hence, they do not contribute fully to governance processes, thus maintaining the cycle of inequality.

However, the resilience of these gender norms and policies is being tested by some inspiring examples of grassroots initiatives. For example, in Bangladesh [38] and India [39], women-led organisations have brought about community empowerment through microfinance schemes and climate-resilient farming methods, thus illustrating how gender-transformative approaches can bring transformative changes. It becomes crucial to analyse individual experiences as this kind of analysis intersects with age, caste, and class, among other categories, if we are to understand the complexities of gender dynamics in South Asia. Marginalised women are doubly vulnerable, highlighting how their socioeconomic positions intersect with the gendered nature of climate change threats [40]. In Thiruvarur District, Tamil Nadu, India, many villages host self-help groups to enhance economic stability through savings and foster social change. Their case showed how women’s awareness of climate change and the effectiveness of policy outreach led to targeted interventions in climate management, livelihood diversification, and sustainable practices to promote ecosystem resilience [39].

A critical role in achieving this aim is recognising different genders’ diverse needs and capacities by promoting gender-sensitive strategies. They can actively participate in adaptation activities when they access resources and decision-making forums where they have been marginalised. Similarly, men should be encouraged to challenge male stereotypes that do not promote inclusion because that’s the only way equitable results can be achieved. Synthesising research findings emphasises how interrelated vulnerability is across genders, social norms, and governance systems. Several dimensions must be taken into consideration simultaneously to deal with these complex problems, including integrating policy formulation and resource allocation with a focus on gender issues and ensuring the inclusivity and effectiveness of adaptation initiatives [41]

Women’s adaptability within the existing power structures also shows that resilience is gendered [42]. The recognition and utilisation of their autonomy, as well as capabilities, are essential in constructing resilient societies and promoting sustainable development. Reassessing current approaches to climate change mitigation is vital, including a shift towards gender-sensitive policies and practices. Adopting gender equality as a basis for adaptation strategies may result in more inclusive, practical outputs that underpin the resilience of South Asian communities. Finally, policy implications call for transformative action while urging policymakers to prioritise gender equality and inclusivity in climate change adaptation efforts. Inclusion guidelines embedded in policy frameworks can help or nurture social justice, resilience and sustainability amidst climate unpredictability [43]. Resilience must, therefore, be understood from the perspective of South Asian women’s vulnerability to promote equitable development.

Advancing gender-inclusive climate adaptation in South Asia

Another pressing issue in South Asia is the impact of climate change on women disproportionately. In many cases, such as floods or droughts due to extreme weather events, men suffer less compared to women, who lose their livelihoods, increased care burdens and limited access to resources; this is how women are not included in decision-making spaces regarding climate change issues, hence marginalising them further and maintaining unequal power relations. However, men living in South Asia also face unique challenges related to climate change. For example, alterations in weather patterns can disrupt traditional masculine-type livelihoods, leading to economic insecurity as well as psychological stress. Therefore, it becomes important to recognise these gender-differentiated impacts on men if developing effective and inclusive strategies for mitigating and adapting to regional climatic changes [44].

Have South Asian Adaptation Challenges ignored the gendered dynamics? The study of gender vulnerability has shown some findings regarding intersectionality between other factors &gender societal restrictions that perpetuate inequality based on gender governance involved in dealing with these vulnerabilities [45]. Climate change equity promotes effectiveness through gender-transformative strategies/governance structure. There is a need to evaluate current approaches to climate change adaptation [46] and adopt gender-inclusive solutions that respect and reflect different genders’ distinct experiences and needs [10]. This calls for action by policymakers, practitioners and society.

The discussions in this commentary stress the importance of the intersection of gender relations and climate adaptation, but they also uncover some gaps that require attention. First, one of the critical issues is the intersectionality of multiple identities, such as caste, ethnicity or disability, that work in tandem to create particular vulnerabilities and particular adaptive capacities that need in-depth research. Second, there has to be an inquiry into how traditional gender roles shape men’s and women’s engagement with climate change adaptation and decision-making processes. Considering the above questions, new elements of thought could be used to understand how communities can build resilient systems to benefit such marginalised communities. Third, future studies should assess the barriers to implementing existing gender fair policies and gender inclusion in adaptation practices, where both encourage gender focus on the barriers to implementation. This would facilitate such interventions and genuinely promote all genders. As South Asia has been tilted toward inequality in many aspects, the adaptation strategies should be inclusive and efficient for all genders, aiming to respond to the various effects of climate change in the region.

Policymakers and practitioners could emphasise creating tailored awareness training for women in SHGs regarding climate change processes and their impacts on agriculture. The integration of these women in climate change initiatives will enable them to gain experience in sustainable practices and soil and water management and reduce their vulnerability to climate change impacts. Second, integrating local knowledge and competencies into climate action will support rural women in adjusting to climate change so that they will adapt better. Third, self-help groups could coordinate with state organs so that such climate change strategies are formulated and distributed to meet the needs of a specific rural area in ways that would promote the welfare of cattle-dependent people and the surrounding ecosystem.

By integrating gender concerns into policy frameworks, allocating resources in a gender-transformative manner, and promoting transformative gender governance, we can establish a more inclusive, equal, and sustainable future amidst climate change in South Asia. Reviewing action is needed to pursue resilience and adaptation without leaving anybody behind.