Understanding the economic dimensions of women's vulnerability during cyclones: The Bangladesh perspective

Abstract

This article examines how women in Bangladesh suffer economically more than their male counterparts during the ravages of cyclones that rip through the country with regularity. It reflects on how disaster management policies could be designed to address women's vulnerability. Understanding the economic dimensions of women's vulnerability is crucial to reducing its impact. Despite the radical decline in cyclone-related mortality, including women's mortality, the loss of economic resources and its long-lasting impact on women have marked no significant progress in Bangladesh. This article emphasises that development practitioners should focus more on the economic impacts of disasters. In addition, it argues that there are pre-existing variables that contribute to the progression of disasters. The existing system has failed to achieve a desirable outcome; more is required to identify and mitigate key gaps in interventions. In Bangladesh, economic vulnerability is heavily influenced by the lack of access for women to public places and economic resources, whereas government interventions mostly emphasise distribution of relief for short-term survival. This suggests that government and development practitioners should extensively identify those pre-existing variables in society and take measures to combat vulnerability to reduce the impact of natural hazards.