Gender issues and climate change are two different fields but at some points these two overlap with each other.
The query will certainly be helpful for research work as well as to develop new methods according to results of these outputs.
Though studies have been done on this issue and with the received responses, one can go through it but what I suggest is to elaborate the topic more and divide it in gender concern in rural and urban areas. This is because the conditions at both places (in context of activities, which affect environment) are entirely different.
In rural areas women work as home makers or as laborers in the fields. They mostly use wood and coal for cooking fuels. They use kerosene oil for lightning purpose, due to absence of electricity.
We at Mission Bhartiyam are presently doing a survey over average consumption of different type of fuels used in villages as per the duration of electricity availability. Now apart from that, in urban areas, women with lower earning communities, lives in temporary camps, mostly use wood and heaters. Their livelihood depends on physical labor at construction sites and selling of fruits, vegetables and other commodities. Men in both areas generally work outside the home, however in rural areas physical labor matters more. Hence, women are more vulnerable to climate change than men.
They are also more prone to health problems and also due to exposure to smoke while cooking.
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Ravi Nitesh
New Delhi
