Women Empowerment: A Key to Mitigating Disaster Impacts in Pakistan
Abstract
This study seeks to understand women’s engagement in disaster management in Pakistan and strategies that can be used to improve their involvement in disaster risk reduction processes. Concentration is given to the problems faced by women and steps that can be taken to solve the problem. This study employs focus group discussions and policy document reviews to identify the factors influencing women in disaster management. The study also examined existing policies to determine their relevance in responding to gender-related issues. The study argues that cultural values, resource constraints, and gender violence are major impediments to women’s involvement in disaster management. These measures include targeted capacity building, community mobilization efforts, and campaigning for policy reforms that are friendly to women. The implications of the present study are relevant to policymakers and disaster management practitioners by offering guidelines to improve gender-sensitive disaster management strategies for affected communities. The recommendation section of this study enhances women’s engagement in disaster risk reduction processes in Pakistan. Therefore, this study contributes to knowledge by revealing the impact of policy implementation that marginalizes local women’s leadership and contextual knowledge. It also has unique approaches, such as the development of a mentorship model and improving sensitization measures to expand women’s engagement in disaster risk management.
Keywords: women empowerment, disaster management, Pakistan, gender-sensitive policies, community engagement
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