Spatial Heterogeneities and Differential Impacts of Climate-Induced Hydromet Hazards on Gender-Based Violence across Women’s Lifecycle in India: An Agroecological Approach

Saif Nihal, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai

Climate change, a global challenge, is often studied from a homogeneous perspective, though its implications vary based on the type of hazards and disproportionately affect women across the lifecycle. This study assesses the impact of hydrometeorological hazards on gender-based violence in India, focusing on three life trajectories: marriage, partner relationships, and motherhood and identifies spatial hotspots. Regression and geospatial analyses were conducted using data from the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW) on climate exposure scores (1970–2019), encompassing floods, cyclones, and droughts (2010–2019), alongside women’s well-being data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) (2015–2021). Drought, a slow-onset hazard, was associated with a 3% increase in child marriage, a 26% rise in intimate partner violence (IPV), a 36% increase in dropout from antenatal care, and a 6% rise in miscarriages or stillbirths. In contrast, cyclones, as sudden-onset hazards, resulted in more severe outcomes, including a 10% increase in child marriage, a 27% rise in IPV and miscarriages or stillbirths, and a 59% increase in dropout from antenatal care, likely due to damage to property and livelihoods. These findings highlight the differential effects of droughts, floods, and cyclones on women’s lives, emphasising the need for targeted interventions from gendered perspectives.

Keywords: Gender Dynamics, Population, Environment, and Climate Change, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Inequality, Disadvantage and Discrimination

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