Gender matters: The role of women in community-based disaster risk management in Taiwan

Abstract

Women are typically portrayed as being helpless victims of natural disasters, along with the elderly, children and the disabled. Recent disaster research has increasingly focused on reducing women's vulnerability to disaster by empowering them directly or indirectly through implementing institutional changes in disaster management. This extends to community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM). The social and political status of women in Taiwan is among the highest in Asia, and Taiwan is also well-known for its disaster management performance and successful CBDRM experience. However, to date, Taiwan's CBDRM experience has not been examined from a gender perspective. What role do Taiwanese women play in CBDRM? Is it the same as men, and there is no need to investigate further? Based on the authors' years of experience in CBDRM, combined with key informant interviews, this paper takes the examines disaster resistant communities (DRCs) promoted by Taipei City and New Taipei City and finds the following: (1) superficial and stereotyped institutional design; (2) female self-deprecation; (3) women's disproportional responsibility or domestic labor affects their participation in CBDRM; (4) women's abilities are recognized and respected; (5) the personal traits of local administrators and their supporters determine the DRC's gender awareness; and (6) gender issues in CBDRM are a microcosm of those in society as a whole. Thus, Taiwan must develop a gender-sensitive DRC implementation model to increase the participation of women and ensure their rights throughout the whole disaster cycle. Women's empowerment should also be strengthened, and connecting serving female sub-district chiefs can effectively encourage other women to run in local elections and contribute to DRC development.