Enhancing adaptive capacities of coastal communities, especially women, to cope with climate change induced salinity Bangladesh

The report analyzes the systemic gender inequalities in Bangladesh and how they exacerbate women's vulnerability to climate change, specifically salinity intrusion in coastal regions. It proposes a gender-transformative project to provide safe drinking water via Rain Water Harvesting and support climate-resilient livelihoods, such as crab farming and homestead gardening, while addressing structural barriers like land tenure and social norms.

• The project aims to provide specific measurable benefits to coastal communities, including assisting 25,425 women in Sathkira and Khulna with climate-resilient livelihoods and expanding safe drinking water supply for 68,327 women and 67,783 men through Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) tanks.
• Women in coastal Bangladesh face a disproportionate burden of unpaid work, particularly in water collection, which is exacerbated by salinity. In the target districts, collecting water can take up to 2.5 hours, limiting women's ability to engage in productive livelihood activities.
• Socio-cultural norms, including the practice of 'purdah' (sexual segregation), severely limit women's mobility and access to resources. A local study indicated that only 12% of women travel outside their village alone.
• Women are significantly more vulnerable during and after natural disasters; they are 14 times more likely to die than men during disasters. Factors include lack of access to early warnings and the tendency to remain home to tend livestock.
• In the aquaculture sector, women's labor is often undervalued and underpaid. In some cases, women performing aquaculture work earn as little as 40% of the wage paid to men.
• Women's decision-making power within the household is highly limited. According to a UN Women study, women's participation in decisions regarding the buying and selling of agricultural products is only 34%, and only 20% for decisions regarding property.
• Climate change is driving an increase in child and forced marriages in Bangladesh as a short-term coping mechanism to ease food insecurity and financial pressures on families.
• The project intends to move beyond treating women as 'vulnerable' beneficiaries by establishing women-led Water User Groups (WUGs) and Water Management Committees (WMCs) to manage drinking water solutions.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2018). Enhancing adaptive capacities of coastal communities, especially women, to cope with climate change induced salinity Bangladesh. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/gender-assessment-fp069-undp-bangladesh.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Enhancing adaptive capacities of coastal communities, especially women, to cope with climate change induced salinity Bangladesh. 2018. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/gender-assessment-fp069-undp-bangladesh.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Enhancing adaptive capacities of coastal communities, especially women, to cope with climate change induced salinity Bangladesh |date=30 April 2018 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/gender-assessment-fp069-undp-bangladesh.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2018enhancing, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Enhancing adaptive capacities of coastal communities, especially women, to cope with climate change induced salinity Bangladesh}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2018}, month = apr, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/gender-assessment-fp069-undp-bangladesh.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }