Women’s capabilities in disaster recovery and resilience must be acknowledged, utilized and supported

Abstract

People’s susceptibility and capacity to respond to disasters is not homogenous. Women, in a generalized sense, tend to bear the brunt of disasters, but they are also often at the frontlines of disaster response and recovery. Women’s experiences and capabilities, however, remain ill-recognized or poorly integrated into policies and projects. This paper draws on a study that documents and listens to the stories of women market vendors in Vanuatu who experienced Cyclone Pam and the severe drought that followed. From this, we issue a call to those working in the disaster and development fields to: (1) acknowledge and utilize women’s knowledge and skills in disaster response and recovery, and (2) support women to further develop their capabilities and address underlying vulnerabilities. While we put forward that women should be more central in disaster recovery and resilience-building processes, we issue a warning that wider inequitable power structures must also be proactively tackled in order to improve women’s overall wellbeing and relieve their burdens.