Gender and the Environment
Building Evidence and Policies to Achieve the SDGs
Gender equality and environmental goals are mutually reinforcing, with slow progress on environmental actions affecting the achievement of gender equality, and vice versa. Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires targeted and coherent actions. However, complementarities and trade-offs between gender equality and environmental sustainability are scarcely documented within the SDG framework. Based on the SDG framework, this report provides an overview of the gender-environment nexus, looking into data and evidence gaps, economic and well-being benefits, and governance and justice aspects. It examines nine environment-related SDGs (2, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 and 15) through a gender-environment lens, using available data, case studies, surveys and other evidence. It shows that women around the world are disproportionately affected by climate change, deforestation, land degradation, desertification, growing water scarcity and inadequate sanitation, with gender inequalities further exacerbated by COVID-19. The report concludes that gender-responsiveness in areas such as land, water, energy and transport management, amongst others, would allow for more sustainable and inclusive economic development, and increased well-being for all. Recognising the multiple dimensions of and interactions between gender equality and the environment, it proposes an integrated policy framework, taking into account both inclusive growth and environmental considerations at local, national and international levels.
Also available in: French
Recent progress in mapping the gender-environment nexus
In recent decades, much progress has been made on the gender equality agenda. Likewise, some important decisions and actions have been taken on the environmental sustainability agenda. Yet these processes have only occasionally been brought together. The full range of interlinkages between gender and environmental goals has not been sufficiently visible or adequately prioritised in areas such as infrastructure, urban development, green jobs, innovation, and sustainable consumption. Ensuring women’s presence in leadership positions in the public and private sector will be key to driving a more integrated agenda. While women often play important roles in environmental action, they are often underrepresented in the decision-making of environment-related matters and even less so areas such as finance, which ultimately define environmental outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic has also been a dramatic reminder of how systemic gender inequalities can be exacerbated by global shocks and crises, and how closely environmental factors are linked to people’s well-being. To bring together the gender and environmental sustainability agendas, the massive shortage of gender-disaggregated data needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Also available in: French
- Click to access:
-
Click to download PDF - 1.29MBPDF