Applying a data-driven gender lens to air pollution policies in the ASEAN region

This report examines the necessity of gender-disaggregated data for air pollution policies in the ASEAN region, highlighting how social and power inequalities create differentiated exposures and health impacts. Through case studies in Viet Nam, Thailand, and Cambodia, it demonstrates that current research and policy often rely on stereotypes or lack the granularity to protect the most vulnerable. The authors recommend that national statistical offices and policymakers adopt an intersectional lens to ensure that air pollution mitigation is equitable and inclusive.

• Air pollution impacts are unevenly distributed based on gender, which acts as a social construct influencing where and how individuals spend time, thereby affecting their exposure through work-related activities, leisure, and household responsibilities.
• There is a significant gap in gender-disaggregated environmental data in the ASEAN region, which limits the effectiveness of policy responses and can lead to unintended consequences or the overlooking of vulnerable population groups.
• Research on air pollution in Southeast Asia often relies on gender stereotypes, frequently focusing on women's roles as homemakers and their exposure to household air pollution, while overlooking the high occupational exposure faced by men in roles such as drivers or traffic police.
• In Viet Nam's handicraft villages, gendered divisions of labor result in different exposure patterns: men often perform more hazardous tasks and earn higher wages, while women are more frequently confined to production facilities, increasing their exposure to concentrated indoor air pollution.
• The GAINS model used for the ASEAN region currently lacks gender disaggregation for health impacts from ambient air pollution and does not quantify the health impacts of household air pollution, which predominantly affects women and children.
• Cambodia's 2018 Master Plan on Gender and Climate Change serves as a model for integrating gender into environmental strategies by identifying gaps between men and women and mainstreaming gender into mitigation and adaptation efforts.

APA

Archer, D., Sinswat, W., Slater, J., & Bannister, T. (2023). Applying a data-driven gender lens to air pollution policies in the ASEAN region. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/gender-air-pollution-asean-sei2023.032.pdf

Chicago

Archer, Diane, Wilatluk Sinswat, Jessica Slater, and Thomas Bannister. Applying a data-driven gender lens to air pollution policies in the ASEAN region. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2023. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/gender-air-pollution-asean-sei2023.032.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Archer |first1=Diane |last2=Sinswat |first2=Wilatluk |last3=Slater |first3=Jessica |last4=Bannister |first4=Thomas |title=Applying a data-driven gender lens to air pollution policies in the ASEAN region |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=May 2023 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/gender-air-pollution-asean-sei2023.032.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{archer2023applying, author = {Archer, Diane and Sinswat, Wilatluk and Slater, Jessica and Bannister, Thomas}, title = {{Applying a data-driven gender lens to air pollution policies in the ASEAN region}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/gender-air-pollution-asean-sei2023.032.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }