Women and Climate Adaptation in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa: Constraints and Research Priorities

doi:10.1596/1813-9450-11095

Publication:
Women and Climate Adaptation in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa: Constraints and Research Priorities

dc.contributor.author	Delavallade, Clara
dc.contributor.author	Gittard, Mélanie
dc.contributor.author	Vaillant, Julia
dc.date.accessioned	2025-04-03T13:58:20Z
dc.date.available	2025-04-03T13:58:20Z
dc.date.issued	2025-04-03
dc.description.abstract	Sub-Saharan Africa is highly vulnerable to climate change, with rural women dis- proportionately affected due to pre-existing gender inequalities that both increase their need for adaptation and constrain their ability to adopt strategies. This paper reviews empirical evidence on key barriers to women’s climate adaptation, identifies critical knowledge gaps, and outlines a gender-informed policy and research agenda. Focusing on on-farm and off-farm adaptation strategies‒including climate-smart agriculture, weather insurance, income diversification, and migration‒the paper highlights key constraints limiting women’s adaptive capacity: financial limitations, restricted asset control and ownership, gender norms positioning women as primary caregivers and shock absorbers, lower human and social capital, and limited access to climate and technology information. Substantial gaps remain in understanding how women’s financial literacy, institutional trust, risk and climate perception, and social networks affect their adaptation. Evidence-supported interventions include information provision on climate-smart agricultural technologies and social protection, while emerging but less established interventions include socio-emotional skills programs, childcare, and land titling. Underexplored yet promising interventions involve expanding women’s access to digital climate services, strengthening social networks, and engaging men in shifting intra-household roles. Significant knowledge gaps persist regarding the main constraints women face in adopting migration as an adaptation strategy.	en
dc.identifier	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099852504012532492
dc.identifier.doi	10.1596/1813-9450-11095
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/10986/43013
dc.language	English
dc.language.iso	en_US
dc.publisher	Washington, DC: World Bank
dc.relation.ispartofseries	Policy Research Working Paper; 11095
dc.rights	CC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holder	World Bank
dc.rights.uri	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subject	GENDER
dc.subject	CLIMATE CHANGE
dc.subject	ADAPTATION
dc.subject	AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
dc.subject	MIGRATION
dc.title	Women and Climate Adaptation in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa	en
dc.title.subtitle	Constraints and Research Priorities	en
dc.type	Working Paper
dspace.entity.type	Publication
okr.date.disclosure	2025-04-03
okr.date.lastmodified	2025-04-03T12:05:25Z	en
okr.doctype	Policy Research Working Paper
okr.doctype	Publications & Research
okr.docurl	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099852504012532492
okr.guid	099852504012532492
okr.identifier.docmid	IDU-12cbe268-1ee9-4688-acf2-d7254cab0132
okr.identifier.doi	10.1596/1813-9450-11095
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum	40004539
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum	40004539
okr.identifier.report	WPS11095
okr.import.id	7004
okr.imported	true	en
okr.language.supported	en
okr.pdfurl	https://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099852504012532492/pdf/IDU-12cbe268-1ee9-4688-acf2-d7254cab0132.pdf	en
okr.region.geographical	Sub-Saharan Africa
okr.topic	Social Protections and Labor::Social Protections & Assistance
okr.topic	Gender::Gender and Economics
okr.topic	Macroeconomics and Economic Growth::Economics and Gender
okr.topic	Agriculture::Agricultural Sector Economics
okr.topic	Agriculture::Agriculture & Farming Systems
okr.topic	Environment::Adaptation to Climate Change
okr.topic	Environment::Climate Change Impacts
okr.unit	AFEGI - Gender Impact Evaluation
relation.isSeriesOfPublication	26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
relation.isSeriesOfPublication.latestForDiscovery	26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87