Riskscapes of Gender, Disaster, and Climate Change in Indonesia and Australia

Project Title: Riskscapes of Gender, Disaster, and Climate Change in Indonesia and Australia

Target countries: Indonesia and Australia

Principal Investigator: Elizabeth P. Ransom

Funding source: Center for Security Research and Education (Penn State)

Collaborators:

• Penn State: Ann R. Tickamyer
• Consultant: Michael G. Jacobson

Project Description

Indonesia and Australia present locations well-suited to understanding how risks associated with gender and disaster come together to create a landscape or “riskscape" that delineates social and biophysical factors that determine how risk is distributed, climate change is anticipated, and resilience is cultivated.

Based on prior research in Indonesia and a new collaboration in Australia we investigate the ways gender roles and relations are implicated in coping with disaster and fostering adaptation to climate change. There is evidence that where women are integrated into society, have independent access to resources, and especially have prior organizational and leadership experience, and routinely are included and participate in civic and public affairs, there are much greater resilience and more effective recovery processes.