Women’s role in adaptation to climate change in Bangladesh

University of Technology Sydney. Institute for Sustainable Futures.Women in Bangladesh are highly exposed to the effects of climate change. Bangladesh is a cyclone and flood prone area; where coastal women are deprived of access to resources (e.g. information, knowledge and education). Women’s vulnerabilities are further exacerbated by socio-cultural and religious factors that lead to a lack of communication with outside actors. The contribution of women to climate change adaptation has been largely ignored across all levels of society, by members within the family, community, policymakers and beyond; thus, women’s capacity for adaptation is heavily constrained. This thesis reports a mixed method study in the coastal village of Gabura Union under Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district in Bangladesh; an area that is at risk of frequent severe cyclones. For example, Aila in 2009 and Sidr in 2007 have ongoing impacts on communities, such as soil salinity because of prolonged period of seawater inundation. This study explores women’s adaptation to climate change through analysis of empirical data under several theoretical threads: the role of local knowledge, the contribution of types of social capital and the significance of place attachment in understanding of women’s place-based adaptation. The thesis firstly highlights the ways women develop livelihood capacities by engaging with aid agencies and developing innovative adaptation strategies based on their local knowledge and social relationships, in the absence of their male community members. Secondly, among the three most commonly identified forms of social capital (e.g. bonding, bridging and linking); bonding capitals are found to be loosened after a major catastrophe due to male community members’ out migration. Over time, developing linking social capital with NGOs helps strengthen bridging social capitals with other community women through development of novel livelihood responses. A third area of the thesis highlights the role of place and how women’s attachment to place helped enhance their adaptation responses by making use of a range of livelihood capitals. Overall, the findings support calls to reconsider the role of women in adaptation to climate change and provide recommendations for considering the intersection of gender and climate change adaptation. In this regard, the thesis establishes the importance of strengthening and broadening linking social capital to develop more gender inclusive adaptation responses (e.g. to ensure women and men can participate in climate change programs equally) to develop tailored adaptation action in a post-disaster context