10 things to know: Gender equality and achieving climate goals

This report synthesises research on the role of gender equality in achieving climate compatible development, focusing on urban settings in India, Kenya, and Peru. It argues that gender-sensitive approaches—which address power imbalances and diverse needs rather than just women's practical requirements—lead to more sustainable and effective climate resilience outcomes.

• Gender-sensitive analysis improves climate vulnerability and capacity assessments by revealing the socioeconomic, physical, and political reasons why men and women experience and adapt to climate challenges differently. For example, in Gorakhpur, India, women face significant difficulties accessing toilets during waterlogged conditions, leading some to eat and drink less as a coping strategy.
• The active involvement and leadership of women in decision-making processes enhance the sustainability and transparency of climate interventions. In India, Neighbourhood Committees where women outnumbered men showed higher activity rates (50–60% still holding regular meetings) compared to city-level committees with low or no female participation, which often stopped functioning.
• Urban environments require distinct gender approaches compared to rural areas due to different social and economic structures. In Gorakhpur, India, class identities often prevail over caste in cities, making it easier to group different castes but harder to group different income levels. In Kisumu, Kenya, urban women have better access to financial empowerment through self-help groups (chamas) than rural women.
• Everyday gender inequalities and discriminatory social norms exacerbate vulnerability to urban climate risks. In India, patriarchal norms restrict the mobility of upper-class women during floods, while gender-based violence can inhibit women's participation in governance. Additionally, women often bear the stress of securing and repaying loans when climate events destroy livelihoods, as men are sometimes viewed as untrustworthy due to alcoholism.
• True gender-sensitive approaches must move beyond addressing 'practical needs' to challenging power imbalances and unequal decision-making. In Kenya, women owned only 3% of land in 2011, limiting their ability to make decisions on housing improvements. In India, the ACCCRN project improved women's income through guava production, but men continued to take 25% to 50% of those earnings, as the project lacked a transformative approach to asset control.
• Promoting gender equality must be an explicit goal from a project's inception to avoid maintaining the status quo. The ACCCRN project in India did not have sex-disaggregated targets, resulting in lower female representation at the city level and a focus on women's reproductive rather than productive roles, which risked increasing their overall workload.
• The success of gender-sensitive climate development is driven by national policy frameworks, participatory local design, and committed staff. Peru is noted for having a progressive environment with a National Gender and Climate Change Action Plan (PAGCC). However, the report notes that donor organisations often provide the primary push for integrating gender perspectives into project cycles.
• Current monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems are often inadequate for tracking gender outcomes because they lack explicit objectives and indicators. The report suggests using creative methods, such as gathering life stories of women's leadership, to supplement sex-disaggregated data and advocate for equality.

APA

Kratzer, S., & Le Masson, V. (n.d.). 10 things to know: Gender equality and achieving climate goals. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/10-things-to-know_Gender-equality-and-achieving-climate-goals_WEBfinal.pdf

Chicago

Kratzer, Sebastian, and Virginie Le Masson. 10 things to know: Gender equality and achieving climate goals. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, n.d. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/10-things-to-know_Gender-equality-and-achieving-climate-goals_WEBfinal.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kratzer |first1=Sebastian |last2=Le Masson |first2=Virginie |title=10 things to know: Gender equality and achieving climate goals |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/10-things-to-know_Gender-equality-and-achieving-climate-goals_WEBfinal.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kratzerndthings, author = {Kratzer, Sebastian and Le Masson, Virginie}, title = {{10 things to know: Gender equality and achieving climate goals}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/10-things-to-know_Gender-equality-and-achieving-climate-goals_WEBfinal.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }