Environmental Migrants: A Gender Approach Is Needed

Being “an” or “an” environmental migrant is not the same thing: the dynamics, the dangers to be faced, the challenges are often very different. This is why a gender approach to environmental migration is necessary.

The migratory experience is deeply influenced by gender dynamics in all its aspects. Men and women, in fact, show different migratory tendencies at each stage of the migratory cycle. The decision to leave, the perceptions of risk, the priorities, the strategies adopted and the job opportunities, as well as the access to integration activities, are shaped by gender norms, roles and responsibilities.

Decoding the intersections between gender and migration patterns is therefore crucial, as migration can contribute to the transformation of power relations between the sexes and offer new opportunities for women’s emancipation.

However, it can also accentuate existing inequalities, expose women to new forms of vulnerability and amplify gender-based socioeconomic disparities.

Challenges of Migrant Women

Socio-cultural norms can limit women’s ability to migrate without the consent of a male figure. When women are forced to migrate, they face specific risks along their migration routes, including abuse, discrimination, exploitation and gender-based violence, including trafficking in persons, and social exclusion. In addition, migrant women often face difficulties in accessing sanitation and health services, including those related to sexual, mental and reproductive health.

When environmental migrants are women

Environmental migration is largely determined by people’s exposure to environmental and climate risks and their ability to anticipate, cope with, adapt to and recover from the consequences of natural hazards and environmental degradation. In general, those who are economically, politically and socially marginalized within communities affected by natural hazards and environmental degradation experience the impacts of climate change more acutely. Environmental migration is also, therefore, an intrinsically gendered process: the vulnerabilities, experiences and priorities of environmental migrants vary according to gender roles, access to resources, education and job opportunities…