Drawing a transdisciplinary perspective, this book investigates the ways in which gender intersect with rebuilding and post-disaster recovery process. It shows how climate-induced disasters as well as the recent COVID-19 pandemic have impacted human lives and livelihoods across various global socioeconomic conditions, sociopolitical conditions, and the gendered relationships from the Global South perspective. From the real experiences of the people vulnerable to disasters, this book identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the post-disaster management in different contexts. The varied roles and responsibilities of men and women in different countries are also examined. It is often hard to understand how local and global politics are involved in humanitarian aid. This book also shows how lower-income and under-privileged communities are deprived of their right to access relief and rehabilitation due to political involvement. This text also highlights effective methods of policy implementation for achieving sustainable recovery from these humanitarian crises. It will assist strategy planners and policymakers to focus on gender-based barriers and political hindrances as well as geological and socioeconomic factors in planning inclusive post-disaster activities. The book will be of interest to researchers, postgraduate students and scholars in the fields of Sociology, Social Anthropology, Development Studies, Gender and Cultural Studies, Area Studies, Human Geography, Disaster Management, Forestry and Environmental Science.

ÔDisaster research owes a lot to development studies and yet the debt is often not acknowledged. In this scholarly but accessible book by Sarah Bradshaw, we see a very effective linking of gender, disaster and development that will be of value to academics and practitioners working in and across all these domains.Õ Ð Maureen Fordham, University of Northumbria, UK ÔBringing gender into the foreground in both development and disaster discourse, the author challenges received wisdom and offers cautionary notes about reinforcing inequalities through feminized disaster interventions. The book is an outstanding platform for fundamental change in how we think about and act toward gender in disaster contexts, leaving readers cautiously optimistic. This is one for the top shelf Ð a book we have been waiting for and must put to use.Õ Ð Elaine Enarson, founder, Gender and Disaster Resilience Alliance ÔOnce in a while a book is published which offers an empirically and theoretically informed analysis of an under-studied topic which helps to carve out a new field of enquiry. Such is the case with Dr Sarah BradshawÕs breathtakingly detailed, richly first-hand informed, and incisive, account of the frequently paradoxical co-option of women into the analysis and practice of ÒdisasterÓ in developing economies. BradshawÕs eminently comprehensive, well-substantiated, perceptive and sensitive treatment of the ÒA to ZÓ of gender and ÒdisasterÓ in developing country contexts constitutes a 21st century volume which will be a definitive benchmark for scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and feminist activists at a world scale.Õ Ð Sylvia Chant, London School of Economics, UK The need to Ôdisaster proofÕ development is increasingly recognised by development agencies, as is the need to engender both development and disaster response. This unique book explores what these processes mean for development and disasters in practice. Sarah Bradshaw critically examines key notions, such as gender, vulnerability, risk, and humanitarianism, underpinning development and disaster discourse. Case studies are used to demonstrate how disasters are experienced individually and collectively as gendered events. Through consideration of processes to engender development, it problematizes womenÕs inclusion in disaster response and reconstruction. The study highlights that while women are now central to both disaster response and development, tackling gender inequality is not. By critically reflecting on gendered disaster response and the gendered impact of disasters on processes of development, it exposes some important lessons for future policy. This timely book examines international development and disaster policy which will prove invaluable to gender and disaster academics, students and practitioners.

This edited book was produced through a transnational and transdisciplinary UNESCO Chair Project on Gender and Vulnerability in Disaster Risk Reduction Support. Contributors come from five disaster-prone Asian countries, and the chapters reflect their rich knowledge and practical experience in disaster management and humanitarian assistance. The chapters, all with a focus on gender and vulnerability, illustrate that gender can make people, especially women, vulnerable. The chapters address the experiences of state and non-state actors responding to disaster and promoting recovery at the local level. However, while women and vulnerable people may be victims of disasters, they also serve as agents for recovery and voices for better disaster preparedness. In sharing both successes and failures, as well as suggestions for the future, this book speaks to the need for transdisciplinary knowledge and multilevel coordination, as well as full equality for all genders and respect for human rights, in order to cope with increasingly more frequent, intense, and complex emergencies. This book is of interest as a text to students in a variety of disciplines who are focusing on disaster and health emergencies, as well as to practitioners and others promoting disaster risk reduction and resilience.

Women, Gender and Disaster: Global Issues and Initiatives examines gender within the context of disaster risk management. It argues for gender mainstreaming as an effective strategy towards achieving disaster risk reduction and mitigating post-disaster gender disparity. Highlighting that gender inequalities pervade all aspects of life, it analyses the failure to implement inclusive and gender-sensitive approaches to relief and rehabilitation work. While examining positive strategies for change, the collection focuses on women′s knowledge, capabilities, leadership and experience in community resource management. The authors emphasize that these strengths in women, which are required for building resilience to hazards and disasters, are frequently overlooked. This timely book will be extremely useful to policy makers and professionals active in the field of disaster management and to academics and students in gender studies, social work, environmental studies and development studies.

It is often assumed that all members of a population experience the impact of disasters in the same way. In the pre-disaster context, women’s and girls’ unequal access to social, political, and economic resources influences their access to post-disaster assistance and compensation for damage and losses. While the post-disaster context presents a host of challenges for women, it is important to recognize that women are not just victims of disasters. The strength of post-disaster recovery lies with how well it responds to the needs of both women and men. This guidance note aims to provide action-oriented guidance to local and national government officials and key decision makers who face post-disaster challenges and to assist them in incorporating gender-responsive recovery and reconstruction efforts across all sectors through robust gender assessments that lead to concrete needs identification and gender-specific recovery strategies and frameworks. Implementation of such actions will facilitate both a more resilient, sustainable recovery, and advances in reducing gender inequality. The note addresses the different challenges that women face in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction caused by underlying issues of inequality and marginalization. The note provides guidance on how to turn a post-disaster situation into an opportunity to enhance gender equality and women’s empowerment, with a focus on building back better, as the aftermath of a disaster can present opportunities for new and more progressive gender roles and relationships to emerge. The guidance note is structured around three key areas: identifying and prioritizing gender-specific recovery needs; protecting women and men from physical and psychosocial harm; and planning for gender-responsive recovery in the disaster recovery framework and empowering women for sustainable and resilient recovery. The final section of the paper provides a long-term outlook on strengthening gender responsive recovery systems.

Gender is revealed as a central organizing principle in social life when the unexpected transforms daily routines, environments, and social institutions. Using specific disaster experiences from around the world, this book argues for a gendered perspective in policy, practice and research. Contributing authors challenge the image of women as hapless victim in their accounts of women who rebuilt flooded homes in Bangladesh, evacuated families from Australian bushfires, reconstructed communities after a Mexican earthquake, and mobilized women in Miami in the wake of Hurricane Andrew. From Bangladesh to Scotland, the case studies document the root causes of women's vulnerability to disaster and the central roles they play before, during and after disaster. The authors recommend strategies for policy makers and emergency practitioners to more fully engage women in disaster planning and response.

It is often assumed that all members of a population experience the impact of disasters in the same way. In the pre-disaster context, women's and girls' unequal access to social, political, and economic resources influences their access to post-disaster assistance and compensation for damage and losses. While the post-disaster context presents a host of challenges for women, it is important to recognize that women are not just victims of disasters. The strength of post-disaster recovery lies with how well it responds to the needs of both women and men. This guidance note aims to provide action-oriented guidance to local and national government officials and key decision makers who face post-disaster challenges and to assist them in incorporating gender-responsive recovery and reconstruction efforts across all sectors through robust gender assessments that lead to concrete needs identification and gender-specific recovery strategies and frameworks. Implementation of such actions will facilitate both a more resilient, sustainable recovery, and advances in reducing gender inequality. The note addresses the different challenges that women face in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction caused by underlying issues of inequality and marginalization. The note provides guidance on how to turn a post-disaster situation into an opportunity to enhance gender equality and women's empowerment, with a focus on building back better, as the aftermath of a disaster can present opportunities for new and more progressive gender roles and relationships to emerge. The guidance note is structured around three key areas: identifying and prioritizing gender-specific recovery needs; protecting women and men from physical and psychosocial harm; and planning for gender-responsive recovery in the disaster recovery framework and empowering women for sustainable and resilient recovery. The final section of the paper provides a long-term outlook on strengthening gender responsive recovery systems.

Social workers are increasingly engaged in supporting individuals and communities in long-term disaster recovery. Rebuilding Lives Post-Disaster brings together an international team of social work researchers who have investigated the experiences, perspectives, challenges, and complexities in disaster recovery. It features country case studies drawing from field research undertaken in disaster-affected communities in Canada, the United States, Australia, India, Pakistan, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and China. In so doing, the volume provides a comprehensive perspective on the realities of disaster recovery and explores key concepts such as resilience, community-based disaster risk reduction, and social and gendered construction of vulnerability and capabilities. Undergraduate and graduate students and professionals in the fields of social work, community development, international social work, emergency management, and related fields will find the text to be a helpful resource.

Climate change is increasingly of great concern to the world community. The earth has witnessed the buildup of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere, changes in biodiversity, and more occurrences of natural disasters. Recently, scientists have begun to shift their emphasis away from curbing carbon dioxide emission to adapting to carbon dioxide emission. The increase in natural disasters around the world is unprecedented in earth's history and these disasters are often associated to climate changes. Many nations along the coastal lines are threatened by massive floods and tsunamis. Earthquakes are increasing in intensity and erosion and droughts are problems in many parts of the developing countries. This book is therefore to investigate ways to prepare and effectively manage these disasters and possibly reduce their impacts. The focus is on mitigation strategies and policies that will help to reduce the impacts of natural disasters. The book takes an in-depth look at climate change and its association to socio-economic development and cultures especially in vulnerable communities; and investigates how communities can develop resilience to disasters. A balanced and a multiple perspective approach to manage the risks associated with natural disasters is offered by engaging authors from the entire globe to proffer solutions.