Gender Approaches in Climate Compatible Development: Lessons from India

"Support and encouragement by facilitators, as well as attempts to build awareness amongst men and other decision-makers about how women are affected by climate change, helped a number of women to speak out, gain awareness and confidence and contribute to local planning processes."

This case study explores the advantages and challenges of integrating gender dimensions into climate compatible development strategies through an examination of the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) project, a 7-year (2007–2014) initiative supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and implemented by Gorakhpur Environment Action Group (GEAG) in Mahewa ward, Gorakhpur city, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is part of a global study commissioned by the Climate Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and carried out by Practical Action Consulting (PAC), together with the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in Latin America (Peru), Eastern Africa (Kenya), and South Asia (India). (See Related Summaries, below). These collaborators have observed that, despite the fact that marginalised and economically poor people, including women, are affected first and hardest by climate change, evidence indicates that women's views, needs, and participation are often excluded from the design and planning of climate change responses, including major policies. Moreover, women are often perceived primarily as victims, and not as equal contributors of knowledge and skills in disaster risk, adaptation, and mitigation strategies. Most research into gender and climate change has been carried out in rural contexts; significant knowledge gaps exist on these issues in urban settings.

The opening chapters of the report: introduce the concepts of gender equality and climate compatible development (which involves strategies and goals that integrate the threats and opportunities of a changing climate to simultaneously lower CO2 emissions, build resilience, and promote development); describe the Indian context - e.g., the influx of people from nearby rural areas to Gorakhpur city has exerted immense pressure on its infrastructure capacity - and the extent of gender inequality in India; outline the research methodology; and examine the ACCCRN project. In brief, although it was not designed to have an explicit gender-based approach, the ACCCRN project integrated a gender perspective during planning and implementation through: the establishment of committees; participatory vulnerability analysis and interventions in resilience planning, water and sanitation, climate-resilient agriculture, health, and climate-resilient buildings; and promotion of livelihood activities for women.

The core research questions, with main findings for each, are summarised below:

1. What does a gender-sensitive approach to climate compatible development mean in different urban contexts? - According to the report, urban scenarios in India are very complex (and different than rural areas), with many social dimensions in terms of caste, gender, and class. Urban residents demonstrate different vulnerabilities and capacities for facing the impacts of climate change than people living in rural areas. The main differences are: weaker social cohesion, meaning women and marginalised people are more dependent on external help in times of need; a greater likelihood of flooding and waterlogging due to poor infrastructure and basic services; higher levels of apathy among residents towards the condition of infrastructure, service delivery, and the impacts of climate change; and a greater likelihood of food insecurity. GEAG, which implemented the ACCCRN project, adapted project activities to address these differences. The project design also took into account other practical considerations, such as the extra time required for building trust and confidence, working through community volunteers and arranging meetings to suit men and women's availability. GEAG adapted participatory methods developed in the context of rural settings to suit the specificities of Mahewa ward. A case in point was a decision taken to carry out Participatory Urban Appraisals (PUA) through several smaller meetings, so as to understand the diversity of characteristics and issues involved.
2. What is the evidence of the relevance of gender-sensitive programming in climate compatible development to promote and achieve people's empowerment? - The case study shows how women's participation, in particular, made a substantial contribution to impact and sustainability, including how well committees functioned, access to potable water and public services, and the uptake of climate-resilient agricultural techniques. Indeed, ACCCRN project members felt that: "Had women not participated actively, the project outcomes would have been considerably less, maybe around 10–20% of what was achieved. It is largely because of women (and also men) that the project has been sustainable so far, as well as effective in resilience-building." Furthermore, women often prioritised low-income, marginalised groups as beneficiaries of project interventions. It seems that "[g]reater degrees of transformation appear to be achieved when women are involved as agents, rather than as mere recipients. Such an approach involves creating spaces for women to share their experiences and perspectives and to contribute to decision-making processes, both at local and higher levels, where women's voices tend to become lost in patriarchal governance structures. In the absence of a gender-based approach to project planning, evidence and learning around these impacts is inevitably 'lost' and it becomes more challenging to foster people's empowerment. This can lead to the false conclusion that gender-based approaches are an optional (and burdensome) extra, rather than a key strategy for achieving greater impact and sustainability of climate compatible development in urban settings."
3. What socioeconomic, political, and cultural factors constrain or favour gender-sensitive approaches in the context of climate compatible development and the ability of men and women to tackle climate-related risks in urban contexts? - The report explains that, in India, a common belief is that when using a gender-based approach, it takes longer to understand the issues at hand and develop appropriate interventions. As a result, the focus on integrating gender issues explicitly into projects tends to come from donor organisations. Men, and particularly women, face many cultural and social barriers that challenge their ability to tackle climate-related risk, such as strong patriarchal structures, which dictate the roles they should play. While these barriers prevented many women from participating in the ACCCRN project, a few individuals were proactive, grew in confidence, and took on leadership roles. Support and encouragement by facilitators, as well as attempts to build awareness among men, women, and decision-makers about how people, including women and children, are affected by climate change, helped many women contribute to local planning processes.
4. Does a gender-sensitive approach enable better climate compatible development outcomes and if so, in what way? - As outlined in the report, the ACCCRN project adopted various measures to respond to women's vulnerability to climate change. In doing so, it achieved positive results in the following areas: training and information sharing on the subjects of health and water improved access to potable water and increased immunisation rates among children; food and nutrition insecurity was addressed through climate-resilient agriculture; and alternative livelihood strategies improved income-generating opportunities for women. "Opportunities to train with people from other neighbourhoods gave women and men a chance to overcome shyness and gain confidence, thereby contributing to the sustainability of interventions. Mixed meetings and fora helped men and women of different castes and classes to become more aware of the challenges they face and to take joint decisions. These participatory consultations brought out the diverse needs and priorities of community members, as well as a range of skills that were used to contribute to climate compatible development. Had the gender-sensitive approach been integrated from the planning right through to the evaluation stages, the impacts could have been longer lasting, more effective and wider ranging. For example, women's participation beyond the community level was limited, and this probably prevented their experiences and perceptions from penetrating higher levels of decision-making power. Women's input in these arenas will be needed if gender is to figure more prominently in policy and practice."

The report offers a number of recommendations for different stakeholders. Below is a selection of them with relevance to the field of communication for development:

For GEAG/ACCRN:

• Gender-sensitive approaches adopted during the pilot intervention phase in Mahewa ward and their impacts should be shared in discussions and through documentation, media coverage, and advocacy efforts with men and women residents of Mahewa ward, local stakeholders, the Municipal Corporation and government departments, and district, state, and national level agencies and organisations working on climate compatible development issues.
• Efforts to mainstream gender into ongoing and future processes and mechanisms in the ACCCRN project could include staging gender sensitisation workshops, integrating gender-sensitive strategies at the ward and city levels through the establishment of gender-balanced committees, and integrating differential vulnerability analysis and gender equality indicators into project design and management.
• GEAG can foster the development of strategies to address issues relating to climate change and disaster management in urban areas on a wider scale by: recommending changes to gender programming in urban areas, such as how to use participatory urban appraisals or setting appropriate objectives, and developing new theories around gender and climate change for successful climate compatible development outcomes in urban areas.
• Support the women who emerged in leadership roles in setting an example for others to follow in their own efforts to spark rethinking of gender roles in different spheres.

For national- and state-level policymakers:

• In societies where patriarchal attitudes are strong, it is necessary to undertake proactive efforts, such as community-based participatory planning and monitoring, to create an enabling environment where women can feel confident and fully participate in decision-making processes.
• Government policy and programmes relating to climate compatible development must integrate women's perspectives when designing and implementing livelihood support strategies.
• Conduct activities aimed at transforming gender relations by building awareness and confidence among women, men, elders, and society in general around equality and women's economic empowerment.

For academia/practitioners/civil society:

• Systematically collect gender-disaggregated data, analyse differentiated needs, and vulnerabilities and develop gender equality indicators, which can help organisations monitor and report progress towards climate change and gender equity objectives.
• Efforts should be made to ensure that women are involved in awareness- and capacity-building workshops on climate compatible development. Improving women's awareness levels and capacities can increase the resilience of the entire family, as well as strengthen the impact and sustainability of interventions.
• Efforts need to be made to build networks and strengthen social cohesion in urban areas, where interactions amongst neighbours appear limited.
• There is a need for better adaptation of the focus and strategies of interventions and policies to urban contexts, vulnerabilities, and capacities. For example, while in urban areas fast, high, and tangible returns are required to mobilise people, in rural areas even awareness- and capacity-building interventions can motivate residents' participation and commitment.

For donors:

• There is a need for donors to be explicit in pushing for the integration of gender-based approaches in interventions. This could involve identifying actors willing and capable of promoting gender equality and creating and supporting coalitions of willing individuals.
• Donors should take a proactive role in promoting knowledge sharing and exchange around these issues, including improving dissemination of practical tools and training to support the adequate design, planning, implementation, and monitoring of climate compatible development and gender equity outcomes.

Click here to download the related 4-page policy brief, "How do gender approaches improve climate compatible development? Lessons from India", in PDF format.