Gender Aspects of Disaster Management

LESSONS FOR PRACTITIONERS • Disaster situations are not ‘freak’ events but reflect the unequal structures of the societies in which we live. • In disasters and conflict situations, gender gaps in everyday life chances not only persist but can widen with lower socioeconomic status. • Disaster management continues to be resistant to, or dismissive of, gender concerns and fails to both recognize and facilitate participation by all social groups. • The inclusion of women (and other marginalized groups) in disaster and development decision-making processes still has to be demanded: it is not automatically provided, despite widespread rhetorical commitment to equitable policy and practice. • Organized constituencies of women delivering pro-poor, disaster risk reduction (DRR) actions, have already accomplished much, represent considerable potential for the future and deserve greater national and international recognition.