Gender and climate change adaptation: A case of Ethiopian farmers

Abstract

AbstractThe adverse impacts of climate change, in many cases, aggravate existing gender inequalities and hinder developing countries from achieving the targets set by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is, therefore, crucial to understand whether there exists a gender gap in climate change adaptation and investigate the factors explaining the gap to reduce the vulnerability of the farming households to surging climatic risks. Using data from 2279 farm households in Ethiopia and applying a multivariate probit model and exogenous switching treatment effect regression method, this study examines the existing gender gap in climate change adaptations among farmers in Ethiopia and factors contributing to this relationship. The results show a significant gender gap in climate change adaptation in farming households due to the differences in both observable and unobservable characteristics of male‐ and female‐headed households. It indicates that reducing the gap can enhance climate change adaptation by female‐headed households by almost 19%. Women's workload in household chores significantly reduces their likelihood to adopt climate change adaptation measures. Therefore, unless policies proposed target institutional factors, including social and cultural barriers, traditional gender norms and division of labor, and other intrinsic behavioral issues, addressing only observed characteristics may not fully address the gender gap. To bring about transformational changes in the existing gender norms and social attitudes, long‐term gender‐informed policies are essential, along with short‐term projects, to address the gender gap in climate change adaptation through the provision of equitable opportunities for all.