Resources: gender

Working with women at risk. Practical guidelines for assessing local disaster risk

E. Enarson et al., 2003. Working with women at risk. Practical guidelines for assessing local disaster risk, International Hurricane Center Florida International University

The authors define this manual as a step by step guide to assess the resources and vulnerabilities of communities through women’s eyes. They designed this manual as a resource for others interested in planning and conducting a gender-focused community vulnerability research. Accordingly, the manual contains ideas to organize training workshops for community women who will be directly involved in the research, and guides to collect and analyse data to create a community profile to act on the problems.

This is a very detailed guide including advice on how to start the project, such as information on the selection of a timeline, on how to decide how many people are needed, on how to find partners and securing resources. Rich information on scheduling a planning meeting, selecting participants, setting agendas, timeframes and division of labour is also provided, together with practical advice on how to prepare and organize a workshop. A section of the guide provides readers with suggestions on how to analyse data and another one is focused on moving from theoretical research to action, by sharing data with other women, other organisations and communities, and with media. The annex section is rich with very useful examples of meeting and workshop agendas, definitions of key terms and examples of evaluation forms, and includes a long list of references and a series of personal stories told by women who experienced community vulnerabilities.

Overall, the manual stresses on the importance of considering local knowledge and gender when dealing with community vulnerabilities. In fact, just because of their gender and their role in society, women often experience risks and opportunities differently from men. For instance, they are more likely than men to use natural resources daily, to organize locally to address needs, to have limited economic resources and to be connected with the school system.

© 2009 People and Development.