Due to socially-constructed gender norms, men and women perceive, experience, and respond to disasters differently (Ariyabandu 2009). Women are often left out of formal communication channels as a means of disaster preparedness, which reduces their ability to prepare and respond (Anderson 2002; Takeuchi & Shaw 2009). Information is more likely to be shared amongst women through their social networks, where women hear of, prepare for, and adjust to different risks and hazards (Mulyasari & Shaw 2013). Strong social networks, built through civic engagement and community interactions, can be employed to buffer shocks, such as those incurred by natural disasters (Folke et al 2002). Participation in community organizations can open access to resources, such as information, financial or physical assistance, or food in post-disaster recovery periods (Djalante et al 2013). In this research study, we aim to understand if women’s participation in community efforts in post-disaster recovery periods is linked to household resilience in response to a natural disaster.
Volcanic eruption is one of the most reoccurring and threatening natural disasters facing the Indonesian archipelago. The Mount Merapi eruption in late 2010 displaced over 350,000 people between the Special Regency of Yogyakarta and Central Java, and killed over 350 people. This research examines whether civic engagement affects household resilience in responding to such a disaster, using measures of civic engagement and feelings of community attachment as a proxy. Specifically, we aim to understand how female civic engagement in post-disaster recovery levels associate with household resiliency. We present here results from a case-study of the Mount Merapi eruption, using a dataset of over 400 survivors interviewed post-eruption in the Sleman region of the Special Regency of Yogyakarta. We first examine how levels of post-disaster civic engagement and community attachment associate with household levels of resilience. And then we determine if these levels of resilience vary by the gender of who is civically engaged, asking the question: “Are households with civically engaged women more resilient than those who are not?” Our results will provide insight to strategies used that increase household resiliency in response to natural disasters.
References
Anderson, C. 2002. Gender matters: implications for climate variability and climate change and for disaster management in the Pacific Islands. Available at http://www.gencc.interconnection.org.
Ariyabandu, M. 2009. Sex, gender and gender relations in disasters. In: Enarson E, Dhar Chakrabarti PG (eds.) Women, gender and disaster: global issues and initiatives. Sage Publications: Los Angeles. p 5–17.
Djalante, R., Holley, C., Thomalla, F. & Carnegie, M. 2013. Pathways for adaptive and integrated disaster resilience. Natural Hazards, 69: 2105-2135.
Folke, C., Carpenter, S., Elmqvist, T., Gunderson, L., Holling, C. & Walker, B. 2002. Resilience and sustainable development: building adaptive capacity in a world of transformations. Ambio, 31(5): 347-440.
Mulysari, F. & Shaw, R. 2013. Role of women as risk communicators to enhance disaster resilience of Bandung, Indonesia. Natural Hazards, 69 (3): 2137-2160.
Takeuchi, Y. & Shaw, R. 2009. Gender dimensions in risk communication: a perspective from a sediment disaster in Hiroshima, Japan. Reg. Dev. Dialogue, 30 (1): 63–75.
