Climate Change and Gender Inequalities

This research paper examines how climate change exacerbates gender inequalities in Africa, detailing how women's social roles and limited resource access increase their vulnerability across six key impact areas, including health, food security, and gender-based violence.

• Climate change impacts women and men differently across six specific areas: agricultural production, food security, health, water and energy resources, climate-induced migration and conflict, and climate-related natural disasters.
• Environmental stressors and climate disasters are linked to increased gender-based violence and harmful survival strategies. In Uganda, domestic violence and sexual abuse rose during extended droughts, and in East Africa, intimate partner violence increased during drought periods. In Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, the DR Congo, and Mozambique, child marriage is used as a survival strategy to recover assets or secure funds after disasters; in the most drought-affected regions of Ethiopia, child marriage rates more than doubled within one year according to UNICEF.
• Climate change increases the burden of domestic labor for women and girls, particularly in rural areas, by increasing the time and distance required to collect water and firewood. In Uganda, the average distance to fetch water doubles during drought conditions, increasing the weekly time commitment from 14 hours to approximately 16 hours. This increased travel time exposes women and girls to higher risks of gender-based violence and reduces their opportunities for education and income-generating work.
• Women in sub-Saharan Africa are disproportionately vulnerable to crop failure because they represent 60–80% of smallholder farmers, yet only 4% of farms are irrigated, leaving them dependent on rainfed subsistence agriculture. This economic vulnerability leads to health risks, including malnourishment and increased infection rates. In societies with low socio-economic status for women, natural disasters result in higher female mortality rates than male mortality rates.
• Climate change negatively impacts women's health through the spread of diseases and the economic pressures of crop failure. Higher temperatures are increasing the prevalence of Zika virus, cholera, dengue fever, and malaria, which are linked to birth and pregnancy outcomes; extreme heat is also associated with increased stillbirths. Additionally, some women in the agriculture sector engage in transactional sex to survive food insecurity caused by crop failures, which increases HIV infection rates.

APA

Yeboua, K., & Cilliers, J. (2026). Climate Change and Gender Inequalities. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=16-gender&topic=07-climate

Chicago

Yeboua, Kouassi, and Jakkie Cilliers. Climate Change and Gender Inequalities. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=16-gender&topic=07-climate.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yeboua |first1=Kouassi |last2=Cilliers |first2=Jakkie |title=Climate Change and Gender Inequalities |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=29 March 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=16-gender&topic=07-climate |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yeboua2026climate, author = {Yeboua, Kouassi and Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{Climate Change and Gender Inequalities}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=16-gender&topic=07-climate}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }