Exploring the Gendered Effects of Climate Change: The 2022 Floods and Their Impact on Women’s Health and Social Norms in Swat Valley, Pakistan

Anushka Ataullahjan, Western University
Hussain Ali, Abdul Wali Khan University
Lesley Gittings, Western University

Pakistan is currently in the midst of a climate emergency. During the summer of 2022, floods ravaged the country, submerging over one-third of it in water. The Swat Valley (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan) experienced extensive flooding, infrastructure damage, and subsequent gendered impacts. We draw on a participatory community-based research study in three villages in the Swat Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Our study utilized several innovative data collection strategies including transect walks with male community members, interviews with humanitarian response agencies, and focus group discussions with women which included life history narrative, arts-based approaches, and group object narrative. Preliminary findings reveal that the 2022 floods significantly impacted women’s lives and gender roles within the realms of productive, reproductive, and community work. Women in informal economies, like sewing, faced income disruption due to flood damage, exacerbating financial insecurity. Reproductive work intensified as women grappled with increased domestic labor and food insecurity exacerbated by traditional eating practices. Flood-related infrastructure damage further disrupted water collection and healthcare access, with purdah (gender segregation) norms limiting women’s mobility. Despite these challenges, women exhibited solidarity by providing essential resources and hosting displaced families, demonstrating the crucial role of communal support during crises.

Keywords: Gender Dynamics, Population, Environment, and Climate Change, Health and Morbidity

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