A phenomenological study on women's disaster experience in Türkiye

Abstract

The number and severity of disasters are rising globally, with negative effects on the physical, social, and economic spheres. According to research, men and women experience disasters differently around the world and have different coping mechanisms. With their backgrounds in disaster relief and high levels of cognitive awareness, women are recognized as strong actors. The issues that women in Turkey face during disasters must be identified in this context and proposals for effective solutions must be developed. Research is scarce, despite the literature's importance accorded to disaster and women's studies. To examine in depth the disaster experiences and lessons learned of women who faced various types of disasters (earthquake, flood, landslide, fire, epidemic, drought, and terrorist attack), nineteen women were interviewed in a virtual setting. A qualitative research method called phenomenological design was employed in the study. With the help of the MAXQDA 2020 qualitative analysis program, the research's data were analyzed. The analyses have shown that women are ill-prepared for disasters, consider disaster early warnings, have difficulty and security issues in accessing basic needs after disasters, have incorrect information about disasters and are willing to participate in disaster education, encounter social problems, and want to participate in decision-making mechanisms, and they acquire correct behavior skills after their first reflex behaviors. In order to ensure gender equality and address issues with integrated disaster management, the administration can follow the significant findings of the research. In study contributes to the field of disaster research by analyzing the experiences of women in disasters, particularly what makes them vulnerable to disasters, the impact of gender roles in disasters, their behaviors and experiences at the time of the disaster, and the actions taken to turn learned lessons into behavior.