Gender and climate change

The importance of gender equality

Globally, women represent 16.7 percent of government ministers, 19.5 percent of parliamentarians, and 9 percent of heads of states.

Women’s economic equality is good for business. Companies greatly benefit from increasing leadership opportunities for women, a measure shown to increase organizational effectiveness. It is estimated that companies with three or more women in senior-management functions score higher in all dimensions of organizational effectiveness.

The challenges faced by women and girls

Women farmers account for 45 to 80 percent of all food production in developing countries, depending on the region. In the context of climate change, traditional food sources become more unpredictable and scarce, and women face significant losses as harvests are often their sole source of food and income.

If women’s agriculture activities were supported on an equal basis with men’s, global agricultural production would increase by 10 to 14 percent, decreasing the population of those going hungry by 100 million.

Small-scale fisheries make up about half of all global fish catches. It is estimated that approximately 90 percent of people depend on capture fisheries work, and women are critical players in the sector, particularly in fish-processing activities.

In a single day in 25 sub-Saharan African countries, women spend a combined 16 million hours collecting water for their families. As a result, women have less time to attend school, earn money, engage in decision-making bodies, or simply rest.

Women and children are 14 times more likely than men to die during a natural disaster.

Women entrepreneurs usually face a number of gender-differentiated barriers and risks. Out of 173 countries, 155 have at least one law impeding women’s economic opportunities and 18 where husbands can prevent their wives from working

Canada’s action to support women in the context of climate change

Canada played a leading role in the negotiations to adopt a gender action plan, at COP23. The Gender Action Plan supports women’s meaningful participation in negotiations and strengthens gender-responsive policy development under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Gender Action Plan encourages the development of gender-responsive policies, plans, and program on adaptation, mitigation, technology, capacity building, and finance, which reflect the needs of women and girls. 

Canada’s $2.65 billion climate finance commitment has a strong focus on the empowerment of women and girls and on gender equality, and it is closely aligned with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy. For example, Canada is delivering $200 million in funding to the Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in Asia, with the Asian Development Bank. This fund aims to catalyze private climate investment in developing Asian and Pacific countries, and it supports a range of adaptation efforts; creates good jobs; and advances low-carbon, women-focused projects.

Canada worked with the Women’s Environment & Development Organization to support a four-day training session in Barbados (in October 2017), which was attended by 20 new female negotiators from 12 countries in the Caribbean region. The training focused on strengthening the delegates’ capacity to participate effectively in climate change negotiation processes, such as COP23.

Canada also contributed to the Women Delegates Fund to support two participants from the Caribbean training (Antigua and Barbuda and Haiti) to attend COP23.