Abstract
There has been a massive impact of global climate change on the environment that is already evident in various parts of the world. Bangladesh is heavily affected by different climate change issues, and riverbank erosion is one of them. Among others, women are the most vulnerable and suffer the most during the riverbank erosion in Bangladesh. Thus, the key focus of this paper was to understand the impact of riverbank erosion on the lives of women applying a qualitative research method. The objective of the paper was to understand the vulnerabilities and survival strategies of women living in riverbank erosion areas. Findings suggest that the impact of riverbank erosion on the lives of poor women is diverse. It creates a burden for the family members, and in most cases, they fall into a vicious circle of poverty. Despite the increased workload of women due to the unequal distribution of labor in the family, some women also experience a sense of empowerment with their engagement in various income-generating activities, decision-making process and increased physical mobility.
Highlights
Riverbank erosion is considered one of the major natural disasters in Bangladesh (Nishat and Mukherjee, 2013),one of the adverse consequences of climate change
The findings of this paper are organized based on key thematic areas that have been identified during the data analysis to understand the vulnerability of women and their coping mechanisms
The most common problems that the women face in this area due to riverbank erosion are increased workload, gender discrimination in the workplace, sickness and diseases, poor sanitation, mental stress, feeling of restlessness,social stigma, restriction to work outside and many more
Summary
Riverbank erosion is considered one of the major natural disasters in Bangladesh (Nishat and Mukherjee, 2013),one of the adverse consequences of climate change. Riverbank erosion continues to create hardship and stress on the lives of people living in riverbank areas in Bangladesh (Rahman and Gain, 2020; Islam et al 2017). The impact of riverbank erosion on the natural resources and socio-economic conditions of the displaced population is diverse. The effect of riverbank erosion increases poverty and affects families, low-income families, who find it hard to survive for a certain period (Rahman, 2010). Sufferers of riverbank erosion had to lose their familial and social ties through isolation from their kin’s (Baki, 2014). Many people lost everything and became poor in a short perioddue to
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