Post-disaster recovery and bargaining with patriarchy: A case study from Macapaya, Philippines

Abstract

In disaster policy and implementation, there is a tendency to overestimate what women gain from participating in disaster recovery efforts and underestimate the true cost of gender impacts. This qualitative study's objective is to highlight the inadequacies of disaster recovery and reconstruction policies in the Philippines as experienced by women after Tropical Storm Sendong (international name Washi). To achieve these aims, we conducted 20 online interviews with women from the National Housing Authority-Cagayan de Oro Bayanihan Village Phase 1 or Macapaya in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. Using Kandiyoti's patriarchal bargaining as a framework, we argue that a more nuanced understanding of how women navigate post-disaster spaces helps deconstruct the binary framing of women as victims or agents, and understand how women cope with gender-insensitive recovery responses. It also paves the way for post-disaster policies and programs that are holistic and have greater potential to positively impact women's lives.