Gender stereotyping: Evidence from gender differentiated household vulnerability to climate change in Eastern Uganda

Abstract

A narrative linking women and vulnerability has been overarching in vulnerability literature. However, this narrative has not been empirically proven aside from generalizations based on poverty-gender linkages. This study used primary data collected in 2016 from 735 randomly selected households in Eastern Uganda to construct a gender vulnerability index based on the livelihood vulnerability framework to determine the most vulnerable gender differentiated households. The results showed that single male-headed households were the most vulnerable to climate change, even worse than single female-headed households. Mixed gender households showed lowest vulnerability. Presence of a female spouse reduced the vulnerability of the traditionally “male headed” households. The results suggest that disparity in access to requisite resources mediates vulnerability among groups of households. It is concluded that the straight assumption that vulnerability is associated with female-headed households is misleading and could disenfranchise some male-headed households that are more vulnerable.

Keywords:

• vulnerability
• adaptive capacity
• gender
• climate change
• Eastern Uganda

PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

Identifying the most vulnerable sections of society is important in informing climate change adaptation policy. An assertion that women are more vulnerable to climate change has often been alluded to in climate change adaptation literature. In this paper, we interrogate the assertion that women are more vulnerable to climate change and that female-headed households are particularly disadvantaged using data from Eastern Uganda, our research demonstrates that over emphasizing that women are more vulnerable to climate change may disenfranchise some men or could fail to recognize the moderate status of certain women. Our results suggest that gender stereotypes can be counterproductive when identifying the most vulnerable people for adaptation planning.

Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Regional Capacity Building for Sustainable Resource Management and Agricultural Productivity under Changing Climate (CAPSNAC) project with generous support from the Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED).

Notes on contributors

Kenneth Balikoowa

Kenneth Balikoowa is a PhD candidate whose research interest is natural resources management. He conducts research on gender and climate change adaptation, forestry and environmental management in Uganda. This work is one of the outputs from the Regional Capacity Building for Sustainable Resource Management and Agricultural Productivity under Changing Climate (CAPSNAC) project covering three countries whose main goal is to strengthen research capabilities in climate change and to generate knowledge for policy formulation.