ASSESSMENT OF GENDER-BASED VULNERABILITY TO FLOOD RISK IN T/A MAKHWIRA IN CHIKWAWA DISTRICT, SOUTHERN MALAWI

Vulnerabilities based on gender are relevant in disasters. Women and men are vulnerable to disasters in different ways; this is due to; social and economic reasons and pre-existing gender relations with the same social group. As a result of these factors, women and men tend to be exposed differently to disaster risk. A mixed-method design was used to collect qualitative and quantitative data which included 53 households and 2 key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The study was carried out in Chikuse Traditional authority area in Chikwawa, Malawi to explore the role of gender in shaping men’s and women’s vulnerabilities. It was found that women are more vulnerable, due to the following reasons; unequal distribution of power and workload, unequal opportunities which include inadequate education and leadership opportunities, unequal access to resources due to poverty, women have lower incomes and are economically dependent than men. Mostly single mothers are the poorest people in this area. The above factors are derived from cultural issues that lead to gendered-based inequality thereby developing a complex situation for women such that at the time of a disaster there are more vulnerable than men. In this case, women are exposed more to disasters than men. The study concludes that in this area gender is not mainstreamed in disaster risk management rendering inequalities in disaster issues, so policymakers must consider the important role of gender in determining different levels of vulnerabilities to develop appropriate adaptive strategies that address gender-differentiated vulnerabilities.