Social protection options for women farmers in the face of climate change

Social protection systems and gender: A review of the evidence

“…One of these was the Rubery (2015) article on social protection and labour policy discussed above. Another identified a need for coordination between social protection systems and infrastructure – principally access to water – in order to address the gendered impacts of climate change (Mushunje and Sewpaul, 2018). Women interviewed reported that as men migrated out of rural communities, women were faced with managing crops; while they had diversified their income streams where possible, they identified a need for social assistance and consistent irrigation to prevent food insecurity during periods of drought.…”

“…Attention to other crises was less common. The few studies addressing financial crises found that austerity exacerbated gendered inequality, during and in the aftermath of crisis, and called for social spending and public sector investment to mitigate the gendered impacts (Ibáñez et al, 2021; Kushi and McManus, 2018, 2019); The two papers in our database considering climate and environmental crises called for the conceptualization of social protection systems as proactive tools to strengthen women’s resilience (Anderson 2021; Mushunje and Sewpaul, 2018). Only one paper discussed the gendered impacts of humanitarian crisis on social protection systems, detailing specific legal provisions and system mechanisms to address the vulnerabilities of displaced persons (Sabates-Wheeler, 2019).…”

“…There is a need for more gender research addressing institutional features around administration and financing. Such studies can reveal unintended consequences, such as Matthew's (2020) study finding predatory behaviour on the part of financial institutions after the digitization of benefits, or opportunities to improve system efficacy, like Mushunje and Sewpaul's (2018) call for coordination with infrastructure actors in light of climate change. Studies that cost-out policy alternatives and plan for the financial viability of gender-responsive social protection systems are also needed (e.g.…”