The Gender Perspective

'The gender perspective looks at the impact of gender on people's opportunities, social roles and interactions. Successful implementation of the policy, programme and project goals of international and national organizations is directly affected by the impact of gender and, in turn, influences the process of social development. Gender is an integral component of every aspect of the economic, social, daily and private lives of individuals and societies, and of the different roles ascribed by society to men and women.' Read more about the gender perspective from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations here.
It is widely believed that there will be a disproportionate effect on women globally of the effects of climate change, such as droughts, floods and other extreme weather events. In many occupations women’s lower socio-economic and lower managerial status results in them having limited voice where key decisions are being taken, and their status and experience as gatekeepers of family, food, health and home mean that these perspectives are poorly represented in solution outcomes. Encouraging more women into engineering, and ensuring their inclusion into senior decision-making positions is seen as crucial to enable the views and perspectives of women to become more visible and influential, and ultimately to addressing all of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Four Reasons why Gender Should be Part of Sustainable Development

Gender equality is an essential element of sustainable and inclusive development. Here are just four of the reasons why:
1. Women are part of the solution
2. Resource shortages are gendered
3. Climate change is hitting women and girls harder
4. It’s not just about women
Read more here.

Why is Gender Equality Important?

1) Educating women and girls saves lives
2) When women can read, their children’s health improves
3) When more women work, economies grow
4) When women have a say in household finances, the whole family benefits
5) Gender inequality threatens the lives of women and children
Read more here.

The case for gender approaches to urban resilience – Experience from Coyuca

Horizon2020: Promoting Gender Equality in Research & Innovation

In Horizon 2020 Gender is a cross-cutting issue and is mainstreamed in each of the different parts of the Work Programme, ensuring a more integrated approach to research and innovation.
Three objectives underpin the strategy on gender equality in Horizon 2020:

Fostering gender balance in research teams, in order to close the gaps in the participation of women.
Ensuring gender balance in decision-making, in order to reach the target of 40% of the under-represented sex in panels and groups and of 50% in advisory groups.
Integrating the gender dimension in research and innovation (R&I) content, helps improve the scientific quality and societal relevance of the produced knowledge, technology and/or innovation.

Why the Indigenous Women need a voice in Climate Change

Climate policy at the international level still does not provide enough representation for indigenous communities. Most climate policies and solutions are not being designed for the people, by the people, with the people. Often, they are designed by experts with a masters degree or PhD. But that’s not enough. A lot of expertise is local. Locals are experts of their own land in ways that academics are not. Our solutions are not only about writing reports that barely anyone in my community can make sense of. There is a misconception that if you don’t know the technical words, you do not understand climate. But that’s not true. Read more.