Climate Change : It refers to the long term shift in temperatures and weather patterns of a region, either due to natural or anthropogenic activities like burning of fossil fuels.

Climate change has a huge negative impact on every creature of nature, be it humans, animals or plants. But it has more disadvantageous impacts on women when compared to men.

Some of the disadvantageous impacts of climate change on women are as follows:

1) Economics Impact : As per Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey 2021-22, more than 60% of women in India’s workforce are engaged in agriculture, which is the most affected area due to climate change. These women’s livelihood is at risk.

2) Health Impact : Women have specific health needs related to menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding which can be exacerbated by climate change. For example, access to clean water and sanitation is crucial for reproductive health and it’s scarcity can lead to complications and infections.

3) Educational Impact : Climate Change leads to scarcity of resources and in developing countries like India, people tend to compromise with girls’ education in such situations.

4) Mental Impact : Women, who often bear the brunt of ensuring family survival and well-being, may experience higher level of stress and mental health issues in the situation of lack of food and water resources.

5) Decision Making : Women often have less influence in policy making which can result in their needs and perspectives being overlooked.

In conclusion, we can say that policy makers should make gender-sensitive policies and programs by considering unique challenges faced by women in their daily life.