Women Practitioners in Emergencies

Gender plays an undeniable role in how an individual will experience a disaster. The United Nations identified that women and girls are the most vulnerable to the impacts of short term and cascading disasters. Women displaced by disaster are especially vulnerable in the areas of health and safety, shelter, and income support. In addition, the emergency management sector is frequently a highly gendered environment. Emergency responders, such as firefighters, are predominantly male, while those who undertake recovery work with communities are predominantly female.

This session, which will by chaired by the Australasian Women in Emergencies network (AWE), will explore the gendered nature of emergencies and the associated implications as the world moves forward into an uncertain future with predicted increases to the frequency and severity of disaster events. Presentations which promote and highlight the skills and strengths of women in emergency management and disaster resilience are keenly sought, as are those which promote collaboration and cooperation, public education, marginalisation, and integrating women into all aspects of emergency management. Presentations and case studies focussing on marginalised women, migrant and refugee communities are also encouraged.