International Labour Office
Gender in crisis response
CRISES
THE CHALLENGE
Women face multiple disadvantages in
crises. For instance, in economic
+ Affect differently
Gender is a complex yet key
downturns they lose their jobs faster and
in greater numbers, their small
men and women
dimension in effective crisis
businesses are hard hit and their
resolution, recovery and
household entitlements decline. In
+ Change gender roles
development.
natural disasters, women lacking land
rights or farming small plots are most
Crises affect men and women, boys and
vulnerable and may be forced off the land
+ Offer a window
girls differently, given the different roles
entirely. Since land and labour
society ascribes them. The gendered
arrangements are usually negotiated
of opportunity
division of labour in households and the
through men, women may lose access to
economy makes most women less able to
both without a man representing them, as
to question
control resources and processes relevant
may happen after wars. In all crises
to tackle crises, than most men. Also,
women’s working conditions plummet.
men and women experience and respond
gender stereotypes
Their workload increases tremendously
to crises in different ways.
due to damaged infrastructure, housing
and workplaces; the need to compensate
for declining family income and social
services; and to care for orphaned
children, the elderly and the disabled.
This also limits their mobility and time
for income-generation. Demographic
patterns and household structure change,
particularly after conflicts, and women
often become the sole providers and
caregivers of the household. Education
declines most for girls, due to tighter
family budgets and increased demands
on their time. Specially in socio-political
transitions, women’s opportunities are
further diminished by their declining
political participation and the
re-emergence of traditional patriarchal
attitudes. Women are also prey to
violence; linked to the deterioration of
law and order, men’s stress that
translates into sexual and other abuses,
and mass rape being used as war
weapon. Crisis-related hardships combine
and compound old disadvantages.
I n F o c u s P r o g r a m m e o n C r i s i s R e s p o n s e a n d R e c o n s t r u c t i o n
R e c o v e r y a n d R e c o n s t r u c t i o n D e p a r t m e n t

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Yet, women are also engines of recovery.
women-enabling economic, labour market 8Sensitize and train crisis practitioners
They display resilience and
and social and legal environment.
on the gender dimensions of crises.
resourcefulness in extreme conditions,
Longer-term recovery should capitalize on
Stress the importance of women
self-reliance and willingness for proactive those changes and avoid returning to
workers’ rights and gender concerns in
community work. They are typically
pre-crisis or worse patterns so as to allow
the reconstruction of societies, and
society’s last safety net.
both women’s and men’s advancement,
building of sustainable peace and
and reduce vulnerability to crises of both.
economic development.
Crises are a window of
Negative side-effects of new gender
8Hold a vigilant advocacy stance at all
opportunity to break down
roles need containing. In some
crisis stages, as gender awareness needs
gender barriers
instances, women’s assumption of male
prompting.
activities in agriculture resulted in
increased domestic violence and divorce
8Fully grasp gender implications of
when their husbands returned from war.
crises, and the complexity of their
dynamics (through gender analysis,
ILO RESPONSE
disaggregated data, the capabilities and
vulnerability matrix and
ILO’s InFocus Programme on Crisis
community-based participatory
Response and Reconstruction
methodologies), and reflect them in
(IFP/CRISIS) is working on women’s
planning and programming.
empowerment and gender equality as
8Monitor gender bias in access to
necessary elements of crisis prevention,
services by men and women
resolution, reconstruction and recovery:
(gender-specific needs and traditional
8Enriching the knowledge base on
work patterns need to be recognized).
gender and crises, via research and
8Avoid viewing men’s and women’s roles
capitalization of experience.
in crises as adversarial, and present the
8Strengthening the capacity of
advantages of women’s empowerment to
disaster-response bodies, ILO
men, families and communities.
Pre-crisis unequal gender roles often
constituents – governments, employers
change in crises, as women and men can
8Use inclusive community-based
and workers – and community groups,
step out of their socially ascribed roles in
approaches, as segregating women
to address the gender dimension of
their coping strategies. Engaging in
and men in crisis response can
crises, via training, guidelines for
construction, mechanical and other
reinforce perceptions of women’s
practice and technical cooperation
“male” occupations, creating small
vulnerability and create gender
programmes.
enterprises, contributing to
conflict and competition.
reconstruction discussions, acquiring
8Widely advocating a gender-sensitive
8Take advantage of and assist positive
more education while externally
paradigm shift in crisis intervention,
gender role changes in crises and their
displaced, and having no traditional
among ILO constituents, partner
long-term sustainability.
“male” and “female” roles in the
organizations, donors, the media and
absence of men, empower women in
the general public.
8Break down occupational segregation
terms of economic independence, ability
and give women job opportunities in
as family providers, decision-making and
KEY LESSONS
all fields, including construction and
social position. Positive changes in
other “male” jobs, independent work,
gender roles need and deserve support.
FROM ILO WORK
etc. (through relevant technical and
Women need sufficient and truly
management training, credit schemes,
empowering recovery assistance.
8Avoid trade-off between speed of action
etc.) and at all levels, especially
and gender considerations.
supervision and management.
Training provided to them should not
revert to their traditional functions –
sewing, cooking, etc. – but reflect
opportunities in the emerging labour
market and build on the changes that
have occurred. Support should also
target the increasing number of women
working at home or in the informal
economy in times of crises, often
invisible. Women’s presence is needed
in peace negotiations, planning and
implementation of reconstruction and
other recovery processes, decision-
making structures and transitional
governments.It helps develop a

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“We want work. Give us work!”
Providing women with “male” skills to
Asks a woman survivor in earthquake-stricken
rebuild flooded communities, Chokwe
Gujarat
(Mozambique)
A recent ILO pilot project to counter the disastrous effects
of the Mozambican floods in 2000 had women
representing 87 per cent of beneficiaries. It focused on
rehabilitating local market places, support to small animal
breeding, training in the use and maintenance of
motor-pumps and the making and repairing of agricultural
tools, and training on sustainable local development and
elaboration of local projects. This gave women the
opportunity to take on new activities and roles.
“Multiskilling” women in post-earthquake
reconstruction, Gujarat (India)
Following the 2001 major earthquake, ILO and the Self-
Employment Women Association (SEWA) jointly set up a pilot
project for 10 villages, mainly targeting women artisans. Its
focus is training in handicraft and other income-generating
initiatives, in shelter reconstruction adopting labour-intensive
techniques for earthquake-resistant construction, and in
routine maintenance and repair work. It includes a model for
women’s participation in negotiations defining shelter and
other community needs. The project emphasizes multiple skill
building, to provide occupational diversification as a major
instrument of risk reduction. This empowering approach helps
women take on multiple roles in society.
8Beware of and limit negative survival
8Strengthen and build on the work of
8Include women and men equally in
strategies or side-effects.
existing women’s groups (working
reconstruction planning, implementing
8Lighten women’s burden of productive
women’s associations, environmental
and monitoring bodies and
and reproductive work – restoring
groups, grass-root advocacy
discussions, to ensure that their
community support structures,
organizations, female-dominated
strategic interests are represented and
establishing special family support
NGOs, etc.).
familiarize them and society with their
networks, and voluntary social
full participation in decision-making.
protection schemes.

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ADDITIONAL
• ILO: Gender guidelines for employment
ILO READINGS
and skills training in conflict-affected
countries (Geneva, 1998).
• Loughna, S. and Vicente, G.: Population
• Baden, S.: Post-conflict Mozambique:
issues and the situation of women in
Women’s special situation, population
post-conflict Guatemala, Report (Geneva,
issues and gender perspectives to be
ILO, 1997).
integrated into skills training and
employment promotion, Report (Geneva,
• Nauphal, N.: Post-war Lebanon: Women
ILO, 1997).
an other war-affected groups, Report
(Geneva, ILO, 1997).
• Ruwampura, K.: The survival strategies of
Sinhala female heads in conflict-affected
eastern Sri Lanka, Working paper (Geneva,
ILO, 2003).
• Ruwampura, K. and Humphries, J.:
For further
Female-headship in eastern Sri Lanka: A
comparative study of ethnic communities
in the context of conflict, Working paper
information
(Geneva, ILO, 2003).
• Barakat, S. and Wardell, G.: Capitalizing
• Tutnjevic, T: Gender in crisis response
n ILO InFocus Programme on
on capacities of Afghan women: Women’s
(Geneva, ILO, 2003).
Crisis Response and
role in Afghanistan’s reconstruction and
Reconstruction (IFP/CRISIS)
development, Working paper (Geneva, ILO, • Tutnjevic, T.: Gender and financial/
2001).
economic downturn, Working paper
J 4, Route des Morillons
(Geneva, ILO, 2002).
CH-1211 Geneva 22
• Date-Bah, E.: Gender in crisis response
SWITZERLAND
and reconstruction, Paper (2000).
• Walsh, M.: Post-conflict
Bosnia-Herzegovina: Integrating women’s
• Date-Bah, E.: Sustainable peace after war:
special situation and gender perspectives
G
+(41-22) 799-7069
Arguing the need for major integration of
in skills training and employment
gender perspectives in post-conflict
promotion programmes, Report (Geneva,
7
+(41-22) 799-6189
programming, Working paper (Geneva,
ILO, 1997).
@ E-mail: ifpcrisis@ilo.org
ILO, 1996).
¿
Web site: www.ilo.org/crisis
• Date-Bah, E. ,Walsh, M. et al.: Gender and
armed conflicts, Working paper (Geneva,
n Also see the ILO
ILO, 2001).
- Bureau for Gender Equality:
• Enarson, E.: Gender and natural disasters,
www.ilo.org/gender
Working paper (Geneva, ILO, 2000).
- Gender Promotion Department:
www.ilo.org/genprom
• ILO: Selected issues papers: Crises,
women and other gender concerns,
Working paper (Geneva, 2002).
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