The recent earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria have again highlighted the additional challenges women face after natural disasters, with many women finding themselves without urgently needed medical care, or finding themselves excluded from government policies, according to an article in The Conversation. This inequity can have significant effects in both the short term, as they struggle to get access to proper aid and assistance, and in the longer term, as the lack of support decreases their trust in government.
Recent research has shown this effect applying for women in both rich and poor countries, in opposition to men, whose level of trust in government generally increases after disasters, according to The Conversation. For areas subject to multiple disasters a year, this can also result in decreased engagement by women in politics, as they repeatedly see their needs not being prioritized by local and national leaders.
With weather driven disasters becoming more frequent around the world, the impact on both women and their engagement with local politics is only likely to worsen, unless governments are willing to shift their priorities to provide more equitable supports.
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