THE CONTEXT: Ulrich Beck coined the term “Risk society,” which signals a transition from distributing wealth to managing manufactured risks created by modernity (nuclear energy, fossil-fuel use, digital contagion, etc.). India’s rapid industrialisation, dense population, and climate-sensitive economy magnify these risks; women’s historically unequal access to assets, voice, and services means they shoulder a disproportionate share of the fallout.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK:
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- Beck’s Risk Society: Beck posits that modern societies are preoccupied with the future and safety, leading to a focus on preventing and managing risks, especially those that are self-produced, such as environmental degradation and technological hazards. This shift underscores the transition from focusing on wealth distribution to risk distribution.
- Gendered Vulnerability: In a risk society, gender plays a pivotal role in determining vulnerability. Women’s traditional roles as caregivers and limited access to resources and decision-making platforms amplify their susceptibility to risks. This intersectionality necessitates a nuanced understanding of how risks are experienced differently across genders.
CURRENT SCENARIO:
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- Climate Change Impacts: Climate-induced events like droughts, floods, and heatwaves have intensified, with women bearing the brunt due to their roles in agriculture and water collection. For instance, during extreme heatwaves in India, women engaged in home-based work report health issues and income loss, highlighting their heightened exposure to climate risks.
- Health Risks: The use of solid fuels for cooking exposes women to indoor air pollution, leading to respiratory diseases. Additionally, contaminated water sources increase the risk of waterborne diseases, affecting women who are primarily responsible for water collection.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
| Stage of modernity | Dominant risk type | Governance focus | Gender impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-industrial | Local, natural (famine, plague) | Customary coping norms | Shared within households |
| Industrial | Regional pollution, resource depletion | Regulatory statutes, welfare state | Early feminisation of factory hazards |
| Risk society (post-1970s) | Global, manufactured, systemic (nuclear accidents, pandemics, cyber-collapse, climate change) | Reflexive modernisation, precautionary principle | Structural burden on women—care, health, livelihoo |
GLOBAL SNAPSHOT OF THE GENDERED BURDEN
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- Climate extremes heighten maternal morbidity; UN-WHO call for action flags pregnant women & infants as “extreme risk” cohorts.
- By 2050, climate change may push 16 million more women & girls into poverty than men.
- Women fetch water in 70 % of households without on-premise supply.
INDIAN EVIDENCE BASE
| Indicator | Latest metric | Gender skew |
|---|---|---|
| Anaemia (15-49 yrs) | 57 % women vs 25 % men (NFHS-5, 2019-21) | Nutritional risk amplifies disaster mortality |
| Unpaid care work | 297 min/day women vs 31 min/day men (NSO Time-Use, 2022) | Time-poverty limits adaptive capacity |
| Informal employment | 94 % of female workers (PLFS 2023) | No social-protection buffer |
| COVID-19 job loss | Women’s LFPR dipped to 16 % in Q3 2020 (CMIE) | Pandemic = manufactured risk manifestation |
FLAGSHIP SCHEMES MITIGATING GENDERED RISKS
| Scheme | Risk mitigated | Latest milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana | Indoor air pollution → respiratory & ocular disease | 10.33 cr LPG connections (Jul 2024) ; recognised by IEA & WHO for 37 mn women health gains |
| Jal Jeevan Mission | Water-borne disease, time-poverty | 15.44 cr rural HH taps (79.7 %); saves 5.5 cr woman-hours/day |
| Mission Shakti / Saksham Anganwadi / POSHAN 2.0 | Nutrition, GBV, childcare | Convergent delivery dashboard (WCD, 2024) |
| PM Awas Yojana-Gramin (♀ title preference) | Shelter risks in cyclones/floods | 69 % houses in woman’s name (MoRD, 2024) |
THE CHALLENGES:
1. Implementation Deficit in Gender-Inclusive DRR: Despite the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) releasing guidelines on Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) in 2019, there remains a significant gap in their implementation at the grassroots level.
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- Many District Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) lack dedicated gender desks or focal points to address the specific needs of women during disasters.
- The integration of gender perspectives into district-level disaster management plans is often superficial or absent.
2. Data Gaps in Post-Disaster Assessments: Post-disaster loss assessments often lack sex-disaggregated data, hindering the development of targeted interventions for women.
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- Absence of gender-specific morbidity and mortality data in disaster reports.
- Limited documentation of the unique challenges faced by women, such as increased caregiving burdens and heightened vulnerability to gender-based violence post-disaster.
3. Overlooking Intersectionality in Vulnerability Assessments: Current DRR strategies often adopt a one-size-fits-all approach, neglecting the compounded vulnerabilities faced by women who are also part of other marginalized groups.
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- Tribal, single, and disabled women face layered vulnerabilities, yet DRR plans rarely address these intersecting identities.
- The NDMA’s 2019 DiDRR guidelines have yet to be localized effectively to cater to these specific groups.
4. Limited Access to Gender-Responsive Climate Finance: India’s engagement with the Green Climate Fund (GCF) reveals a shortfall in incorporating gender action plans within climate finance proposals.
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- Only 6% of GCF proposals from India have explicit gender action plans, indicating a lack of emphasis on gender considerations in climate projects.
- This gap suggests missed opportunities to empower women through climate resilience initiatives.
5. Inadequate Representation of Women in Decision-Making: Women are underrepresented in disaster management and climate governance structures, leading to policies that may not fully address their needs.
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- Limited participation of women in disaster management committees at the local and national levels.
- Scarcity of women in leadership roles within climate finance institutions and DRR agencies.
6. Challenges in Localizing National Guidelines: While national guidelines on gender-inclusive DRR exist, their translation into actionable local strategies remains inconsistent.
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- States and districts often lack the resources or expertise to adapt national guidelines to their specific contexts.
- Variations in political will and administrative capacity contribute to uneven implementation across regions.
THE WAY FORWARD:
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- Institutionalizing Gender-First Disaster Governance: Mandate District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) to establish Gender-First Resilience Cells with dedicated budget lines under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF); ensure gender-budgeting tags are audited annually by CAG. Train one woman risk champion per village under the existing Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) beneficiary groups, linking social housing to social resilience.
- Climate-Smart Public Health Resilience: Expand Heat Action Plans (HAPs) with mandatory inclusion of Maternal Risk Surveillance Lists, set up “Pink Shields” — mobile obstetric and child-care units — during heatwaves, and localize heat early-warning systems via vernacular IVRS calls. Use Anganwadi Centers as “Climate Health Outposts”, integrating them into disaster health preparedness under the Poshan 2.0
- Women-Led Resilient Livelihood Diversification: Integrate Self-Help Groups (SHGs) into emerging sectors like carbon-credit organic farming, mangrove afforestation (under MGNREGA), and formal e-waste management units under Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0. Create a Women’s Climate Livelihood Index at block level to monitor SHG resilience contribution — data linked to the NITI Aayog Aspirational District Programme.
- Digital Twin Systems for Gendered WASH Governance: Use IoT smart flow meters and community-led GIS mapping to build “Digital Twins” of water supply systems; publish quarterly sex-disaggregated water-fetching dashboards at Gram Panchayat level. Introduce a “Water Risk Gender Scorecard” at district level under Jal Jeevan Mission Phase II, incentivising Panchayats to close gender gaps in WASH access.
- Revolutionizing Inclusive Climate Finance Access: Fast-track accreditation of Women-led Cooperatives as Direct Access Entities (DAEs) to Green Climate Fund (GCF); institute a ₹1,000 crore “Nari-Nivaran Resilience Fund” from the 15th Finance Commission’s flexible pool. Launch a Gendered Climate Finance Portal to crowdsource adaptation solutions from women innovators at the grassroots (similar to the e-Shram portal model).
- Hardwiring Legal and Institutional Gender Safeguards: Amend Disaster Management Act, 2005 to insert a new Schedule V. Establish a National Gender and Disaster Ombudsman (GDO) body reporting directly to Parliament annually on compliance gaps.
THE CONCLUSION:
A resilient India cannot be built on the fragile shoulders of half its population. Mainstreaming gender into every node of risk governance is not social largesse but strategic necessity to secure sustainable, inclusive and equitable modernity.
UPSC PAST YEAR QUESTION:
Q. What are the continued challenges for women in India against time and space? 2019
MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION:
Q. In a ‘Risk Society’, technological and environmental risks disproportionately burden women, particularly in disaster and climate governance frameworks. Critically examine this statement with reference to India’s Disaster Management policies and Climate Finance mechanisms.
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