What's Gender “Got to Do with It”?

Disaster researchers are accumulating clear evidence that, as a group, women are likely to respond, experience, and be affected by disasters in ways which are qualitatively different. At the same time, it is important to recognize and document women's diversity. Clearly, not all women experience disasters uniformly. For example, a White, middle-class professional woman in an American town will be affected differently by disaster than will a sub-Saharan women in seclusion or a disabled Brazilian elder. Privilege is relative to one's location in a given set of social, economic, political, and religious circumstances, of which gender is only 1 major factor. However, understanding how gender relates to the complex interplay of power, resources, privilege, and stratification will increase the effectiveness of emergency and disaster management efforts.