Disaster Through a Gender Lens: A Case Study from Haiti

Until recently, disaster research and disaster relief practices have been looked upon with a gender-blind eye, with the male perspective taken as universally representative. However, scholars have begun applying a gender lens to focus on the difference in impact on and experiences of the different genders. This chapter explores the characteristics of a gender approach and explains why it is essential when preparing for and responding to disasters, and how gender-sensitive policies have been hampered in the past. It uses the 2010 earthquake in Haiti as a case study to show how broader socioeconomic and cultural contexts have highlighted gender weaknesses in the response and recovery effort, and offers steps forward to more equitable treatment.https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/sociology_books/1005/thumbnail.jp