Indigenous Fijian Women’s Role in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation

Citation:

Charan, Dhrishna, Manpreet Kaur, and Priyatma Singh. 2016. “Indigenous Fijian Women’s Role in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation.” Pacific Asia Inquiry 7 (1): 106–22.

Authors: Dhrishna Charan, Manpreet Kaur, Priyatma Singh

Abstract:

Climate change is progressively being identified as a global challenge and this has immediate repercussions for Fiji Islands due to its geographical location being prone to natural hazards. The intensity and frequency of natural hazards are projected to increase in the future. In light of such projections, climate change adaptation and disaster risk management should form integral structures in any response plans to reduce the vulnerability and increase the resilience to these potentially adverse impacts of climate changes. In the Pacific, it is common to find significant differences between men and women, in terms of their roles and responsibilities. In the pursuit of prudent preparedness before disasters, Fijian women’s engagement is constrained due to socially constructed roles and expectation of women in Fiji. The focus of this study is to outline ways in which indigenous Fijian women can be actively engaged in disaster risk management, articulating in decision-making and empowering them to overcome the existent barriers that limit their capacity to effectively adapt to a changing climate. The study aims at highlighting social constraints that limit women’s access to practical disaster management strategic plan. This paper outlines the importance of gender mainstreaming in disaster risk reduction and the ways of mainstreaming gender based on a literature review. It analyses theoretical study of academic literature as well as papers and reports produced by various national and international institutions and explores ways to better inform and engage women for climate change per ser disaster management in Fiji.

Keywords: climate change, women empowerment, social constraints, gender mainstreaming, Disaster Risk Management

Topics: Environment, Climate Change, Environmental Disasters, Gender, Gender Roles, Men, Women, Gender Mainstreaming, Indigenous Regions: Oceania Countries: Fiji

Year: 2016