Pakistan’s Climate Crisis: Women Left Behind

Farida Bibi still recalls the day floods swept away her mud home in Sindh. She was pregnant and had to walk miles for water, with her four children following. “No one asked what we needed,” she says. “Men sit in meetings and decide our fate. We line up for food, water, and medicine. It’s not just disaster—it’s life. And it feels worse than death.”

Farida’s story echoes thousands of women across Pakistan who bore the brunt of the 2022 floods. While policies exist on paper, their lives remain unchanged due to poor implementation. The gap between planning and reality is wide and painful.

The floods affected over 33 million people. Among them were 8 million women of childbearing age and over 650,000 pregnant women. Many were cut off from healthcare and had to give birth in unsafe, unhygienic conditions. Gender inequality deepens during disasters. Women face violence, struggle to access food and medicine, and are often excluded from decisions that directly affect them.

Pakistan ranks 145 out of 146 on the World Economic Forum’s gender gap index. Women, especially in rural areas, remain invisible in disaster response and relief planning. Aid is often controlled by men or local landlords. Women’s specific needs—like menstrual hygiene, privacy, and protection—are rarely considered.

Policies like the Climate Change Gender Action Plan (ccGAP) and the Gender and Climate Change Cell aim to integrate women into climate planning. These initiatives focus on sectors like agriculture, disaster risk reduction, and energy. However, these efforts often lack funding and real support.

In regions like Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), women walk miles for water from melting glaciers while also dealing with violence, poverty, and health issues. Despite AJK’s plan to involve women in disaster response, implementation is weak.

Rural women form 70% of Pakistan’s agricultural workforce but get little support to adapt to climate threats. Most do not own land or have access to education. Since gender-based data is scarce, their challenges remain hidden.

Rukhsana Bibi from Jacobabad lived in a tent city after the floods. “The landlord took all the aid. No one helped us rebuild. The floods took our home, but the neglect took our children’s future,” she says.

Global data shows only 2.4% of climate finance targets gender-specific projects. That must change. Women need to be trained as climate responders, included in leadership, and involved in every level of planning.

Their traditional knowledge of natural resources can lead to effective, local solutions. In some areas, women-led groups have already set up early warning systems and sustainable farming methods, but they often lack recognition and support.

Pakistan can’t afford to ignore gender in climate policy. UN Women notes programs that include women are up to 40% more successful. The policy frameworks are there—the real need is action. Only by listening to women and funding women-led initiatives can Pakistan build a truly resilient, just climate future.