GREATER inclusion of women in all spheres of planning and development, after centuries of exclusion, is a necessity. With our planet facing exacerbated existential threats and increasing disasters, that need could not be greater.

Several days ago, I visited India’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) as part of a one-week journalists’ exchange visit to the South-Asian country. Like many other agencies and organisations in India, I was impressed with the work being done to fuel the country’s development and protect it from various shocks. In this case, the NDMA was established to protect India from natural and man-made disasters.

What struck me about the NDMA, however, was its local disaster preparedness structure. It was consistently emphasised that there is no substitute for sound preparedness; no matter how responsive systems and structures are; being prepared helps protect communities.

That being said, a vital part of the Indian/ NDMA structure is integrating women in disaster preparedness and response efforts.

It has been recognised that women in India, many of whom are homemakers, are best suited to lead and manage these efforts because they are the managers of households; this gives them an acute understanding of the needs and expected responsiveness of members of their households. Extrapolate that and entire communities and regions can be mobilised if more women are integrated into this system.

Moreover, the intentional focus on empowering women and leveraging their unique insights and skills is also premised on the reality that women are vulnerable to disasters. It is well-known that disasters disproportionately impact women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. According to Hemachandra et al (2018), in a paper on building resilience for disasters presented at an international conference in Bangkok, Thailand, several factors contribute to limited women’s participation in disaster preparedness and response efforts.

Those factors include fewer women in professional and technical jobs, a patriarchal culture, religious beliefs, household workload, education level, self-interest, policies and legislation, political environment and household income.

But with more women involved, it is believed that government responsiveness and effectiveness will be improved. This, Hemachandra et al (2018) posited, will help to achieve inclusive development and democratic governance that helps in improving trust and confidence in government institutions and increasing sustainability and responsiveness of public policies. It is also expected that including more women allows their interests and needs to be better represented.

India’s model, I believe, helps to address some of these factors. So, the involvement of women in disaster preparedness and response efforts is reasonable and appropriate because it means those most affected are empowered to craft solutions for their needs.

Naturally, though, this also spotlighted the value of the unpaid role of a woman in the household, whether in India, the Caribbean or elsewhere. Training, ideally, would be provided to women, but consideration must also be directed towards incentivising and compensating women for their efforts.

Despite how impressed I was with India’s system, I believe women are involved in disaster preparedness and response efforts locally. And in India, Guyana and elsewhere however, there remains a tremendous need to incentivise women and women’s involvement in such efforts.

To share your thoughts on this or any other column, please email me at: vish14ragobeer@gmail.com