Panel Paper:
Empowering Women in South Asia’s Slums: The Challenges of Environmental Degradation
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Plaza Building: Lobby Level, Director's Row I (Sheraton Denver Downtown)
*Names in bold indicate Presenter
Environmental degradation is characterized by a reduction in the capacity of the environment to
meet social and ecological needs. Marginalized groups in urban communities, particularly women
and the poor, are disproportionately affected by the negative consequences of environmental
degradation, including natural disasters and extreme climate events. To better understand the
relationship between environmental degradation and women’s empowerment, we surveyed 1,199
households in 12 slums in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, to create detailed profiles of men’s and
women’s social and economic lives, and their experiences with natural disasters and extreme
climate events. Using this data, we created the Empowerment in Slums Index (ESI) and the
Women’s Empowerment in Slums Index (WESI), which systematically measure men’s and
women’s empowerment. We found that women were significantly less empowered than their male
counterparts in all three countries, with widest gaps in Pakistan. We also tested several linkages
between environmental degradation and empowerment using regression analyses and found many
significant associations. For example, in India, the experience of climate change related torrential
rain, lack of access to a toilet, poor drainage systems and long distance to a water source
significantly lowered empowerment. Poor drainage systems and flooding were also associated
with lower empowerment in Pakistan. In Bangladesh, empowerment levels decreased due to lack
of access to a toilet, poor street conditions and long distance to water. Across all three countries,
shorter stay at current residence, poor street conditions and overcrowding in the home were
negatively associated with empowerment, particularly for women.
meet social and ecological needs. Marginalized groups in urban communities, particularly women
and the poor, are disproportionately affected by the negative consequences of environmental
degradation, including natural disasters and extreme climate events. To better understand the
relationship between environmental degradation and women’s empowerment, we surveyed 1,199
households in 12 slums in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, to create detailed profiles of men’s and
women’s social and economic lives, and their experiences with natural disasters and extreme
climate events. Using this data, we created the Empowerment in Slums Index (ESI) and the
Women’s Empowerment in Slums Index (WESI), which systematically measure men’s and
women’s empowerment. We found that women were significantly less empowered than their male
counterparts in all three countries, with widest gaps in Pakistan. We also tested several linkages
between environmental degradation and empowerment using regression analyses and found many
significant associations. For example, in India, the experience of climate change related torrential
rain, lack of access to a toilet, poor drainage systems and long distance to a water source
significantly lowered empowerment. Poor drainage systems and flooding were also associated
with lower empowerment in Pakistan. In Bangladesh, empowerment levels decreased due to lack
of access to a toilet, poor street conditions and long distance to water. Across all three countries,
shorter stay at current residence, poor street conditions and overcrowding in the home were
negatively associated with empowerment, particularly for women.
