Drought

Drought is a condition characterized by a lack of precipitation, leading to a shortage of available water for extended periods of time. Although it is an environmental condition, drought has considerable social significance, as human communities rely on consistent access to water for life. Ecological, political, and social factors contribute to droughts and to climate change, which is widely expected to contribute to a rise in droughts in certain regions. Drought may contribute to environmental degradation, political conflicts, and social inequality, affecting environmental quality, political stability, economic livelihoods, food security, and health, and in extreme cases, causing famine. The intensity and breadth of the social consequences of drought are experienced differently based on class and gender, among other social factors. For example, drought may compound poverty and exacerbate existing inequalities, such as gender inequality. Drought is a women's issue, as the cumulative effect of poverty and gender inequality make women vulnerable to the social consequences of drought. Consequences can include increased burdens on women's time to locate sources of water, decreased access to financial and other resources that before increasingly scarce within households if water is inadequate or must be purchased (food, clothing, etc.), and pressure to obtain financial and other resources through strategies that may be risky or insecure, such as migrating for work or prostitution. Two major recent and ongoing droughts have occurred, one in southern Africa and one in East Africa.

Similar to other natural and social disasters, drought intersects with social relations and may contribute to conflict over resources and exacerbate inequalities, such as gender inequality. Women are more likely to live in poverty, and female-headed households are especially at risk of impoverishment. In some estimates, women make up 70 percent of the world's poor population. Gender inequality often contributes to women having less access to decision-making positions in society and fewer economic, political, and social resources. Although women are often the primary farmers, they are less likely to be the legal owners of land and, in many countries, have been historically excluded from land ownership. Gender discrimination and patriarchy render women-particularly poor women-vulnerable to increased poverty, food insecurity, and greater inequality, especially in times of drought.

Periods of drought can increase household workloads as women search for replacement water or food sources and alternative economic strategies to supplement agriculture or livestock management. These labor burdens are differentially absorbed across households and within households. Poorer families are less able to absorb the burdens of declining economic conditions and increased household labor demands. Within households, women and girls are more likely to work harder to maintain their households during periods of drought. In many parts of the world, women and girls are responsible for household maintenance, including collecting water for their family and responsibilities that rely on water such as cooking, laundry, cleaning, and childcare. When water is locally unavailable or scarce, women and girls often [Page 428]absorb the additional labor of seeking out sources of water or accessing the limited available water.

Drought negatively affects agricultural productivity, which can affect women in multiple ways. In less-developed countries, women are the primary farmers and food producers in communities relying on small-scale agriculture. In times of drought, women may be responsible for farming under difficult conditions, working harder to produce food for their families or crops for sale. Extended declines in agricultural production or livestock management may lead to malnutrition or nutritional deficiencies. When yields are limited, women may have decreased access to foodstuffs within households (intrahousehold food insecurity), rendering them more nutritionally at risk.

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