Women Are 14 Times More Likely to Die in a Climate Disaster Than Men. It’s Just One Way Climate Change is Gendered

May 29, 2024 | Carla P. Leahy
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When we think of climate and environmental issues such as climate-linked disasters or biodiversity loss, we don’t tend to think about gender. At first glance, it may seem irrelevant.

But a growing body of evidence demonstrates women and gender-diverse people are disproportionately vulnerable to the changing climate and the consequences it brings.

Women are 14 times more likely to die in a climate change-related disaster than men. Women represent 80% of people displaced by extreme weather.

Although extreme weather events such as fires and floods might appear to affect everyone equally, the evidence shows crises exploit existing social faultlines. This means people who are already socially marginalised suffer exacerbated impacts.