Women's participation in disaster recovery after the 2005 Kashmir, Pakistan earthquake

Abstract

This study sought to learn how women participated in the recovery process after the Kashmir earthquake of October 2005 in Union Council Langarpura, Azad Kashmir state of Pakistan. Focus-group discussions, semi-structured interviews, and participant observations were conducted with a total of 48 participants. The results revealed that women played various important roles in the reproductive, productive, and community spheres, encompassing, inter alia, normal household responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, and caring for cattle, and non-traditional tasks such as rebuilding the home. In addition, they participated in income-generating activities such as carrying construction materials and water for daily wages, dairy farming, and working in fields and in the education and health sectors. Community endeavours, meanwhile, consisted of search and rescue, caring for the injured, collective cooking and food sharing, and supervising the reconstruction of public structures, including schools, roads, and water supply facilities, and establishing a sewing centre to provide vocational training to local women.

Is male out‐migration associated with women's participation in post‐disaster rebuilding? Evidence from Nepal after the 2015 Gorkha earthquake

“…After the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, Yonder, Akcar, and Gopalan (2005, p. 31) observed Indian women who supervised masons to ensure that earthquake safety measures were followed. Gul and McGee (2021) also found that many women after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake in Pakistan participated inside and outside of the household during recovery and reconstruction, including by fetching water, working for wages, and volunteering with widows and orphans. These latter two studies are especially notable since women's participation in the longer, more drawn‐out phases of post‐disaster recovery and reconstruction has been theorised as providing women with new skills and promoting their interests as lives and communities are rebuilt and reimagined (Chandrasekhar, 2012; Kusumasari, 2015; UN Women, 2016).…”

“…Yet another potentially important factor has emerged in the background of many of these post‐disaster contexts: male out‐migration. Gul and McGee (2021) highlighted their novel finding that of the 31 women interviewed in Pakistan after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, 24 actively supervised the rebuilding of their houses because of the unavailability of the male household head. Since male out‐migration is a key source of income for many Pakistani households, this draws into the question the role that out‐migration had in this noteworthy finding.…”

“…Past research has highlighted the gendered nature of the reconstruction process, wherein women have been observed filling domestic roles such as caretaking, cooking for labourers, or managing housework (Moser, 1989; Gul and McGee, 2021). Yet, researchers have been increasingly recognising women who have taken on traditionally male roles due to the unique demands of rebuilding their private houses.…”

“…Yet, researchers have been increasingly recognising women who have taken on traditionally male roles due to the unique demands of rebuilding their private houses. Gul and McGee (2021) interviewed women after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake in Pakistan who had managed the construction of their houses owing to the unavailability of key male family members, and Perera‐Mubarak (2013) heard from women after the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka who had worked outside of their home to fund rebuilding. And while the bulk of previous research on women's participation in disaster settings has focused on disaster management and the months immediately after an event (Gordon, 2013; Nakhaei et al, 2015; Reyes and Lu, 2016), insights into how women participate in the longer, more drawn‐out processes of post‐disaster recovery and reconstruction are fundamental to understanding the lasting social effects of disasters (Bradshaw, 2001, 2002; Perera‐Mubarak, 2013; Arora, 2022; Gul and McGee, 2021), as well as informing programmes that aim to advance lasting development, resilience, and equity (Thurairajah, Amaratunga, and Haigh, 2008; Bradshaw, 2015; UNDP, 2017; Ruszczyk et al, 2020).…”