Women and Floods in Bangladesh

Abstract

Assesses the differential impact of flood disasters on rural women & men. Analysis of fieldwork & three-part questionnaires (N = 638 households) conducted in Phalia Dighar, a village in northern Bangladesh, reveals that floods affect rural women more adversely than men because disaster relief programs focus on starvation & disease rather than on economic recovery (ie, loss of household resources undermines women's economic well-being). These issues are rarely considered because women are not included in the planning & execution of counterdisaster plans. Thus, it is suggested that successful counterdisaster strategies need to take gender into account, ensure the participation of women, & link crisis response & rehabilitation strategies to development initiatives.