Abstract
Disasters are set to increase in intensity and frequency in parallel with climate change. Further research is needed on gendered experiences of disaster. Furthermore, there is significant international research working to understand whether environmental changes (disasters, climate change, and resource degradation) can only trigger conflict or could be catalytic in pursuing social justice. This research responds to this need; its purpose is twofold. The first aim is to conduct research that foregrounds intersectional experiences and does not disregard the complex interactions between disasters and ethnicity, disability, age, or poverty, as each intersection experiences a unique formula of disaster circumstances. The second aim is to holistically consider all disaster circumstances, not isolating fundamentally interconnected events.
The design of this research was strongly influenced by feminist approaches, foregrounding relationships and prioritising empowerment and social justice. Political ecology with a disaster focus provides another lens, viewing disasters as the consequence of a natural hazard interacting with pre-existing unsafe social conditions. In essence, disasters are socially constructed and are imbued with the privileges and oppressions of a hierarchical society. Galtung’s conceptualisation of violence and peace creates the overarching terminology and understanding for this transdisciplinary research.
This project uses qualitative methodology, informed by constructivist grounded theory and thematic analysis. The method involved conducting semi-structured interviews with 28 individuals and 3 focus groups, the members of whom had experienced either the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence (2010-2011) or the COVID-19 lockdowns (2020-2021) in Aotearoa New Zealand. The findings are displayed across two chapters.
The first looks at three elements of identity: womanhood, intersectionality, and resiliency. The first element explores the variable conceptualisations of gender and how this influenced participants’ perceptions of the disasters. The second explores the intersectional disaster experiences where gender intersects with ethnicity, age, disability, and poverty. The third element focuses on the ingenuity, community, and resiliency that was highlighted throughout the data.
The second findings chapter looks deeper into the gendered experiences of disaster. Three themes became apparent throughout the thematic analysis. Firstly, during disasters there was an increase in unpaid and care work obligations for women, whilst simultaneously devaluing women’s contributions. Secondly, experiences of misogyny were pronounced for women who voiced their needs. This misogyny was experienced at both intrapersonal and interpersonal levels. Lastly, women-centric services were deprioritised both during and prior to disasters, thus amplifying gendered inequality and experiences of increased disaster harm.
This research reveals that disasters amplify the social beliefs, discriminations, and privileges inherent in everyday society in Aotearoa New Zealand. Furthermore, disaster mitigation would be most successful if it addressed the core beliefs that devalue some community members below others, further pursuing social justice.
This project presents comprehensive and original insight for policy makers, academics, and professionals working in disasters in Aotearoa New Zealand and further abroad. It offers consideration of the complex social experiences of disasters and the intersectional influences at both the interpersonal and societal level.