Gender and CC Research

Margaret AlstonProfessor of Social Work

Director of GLASSMonash University

Summary

Research projects Health and welfare impacts Gendered impacts Focus groups leading into forum Focus group findings

Research over several years and motivated by social hardships and dislocation

Albury Border Mail Thursday May 26th 2005

International Research – gender and CC in IndiaTo investigate links between gender, climate

change and adaptive behaviours in Indian farm households

India Research visit - March 2009

Indian girls rescued from agricultural labour

Over 50% of Indian women do not have enough to eat and over a third described the food they have as lacking nutrition.

Indian women’s options

Work on and off farm Some migrate for work – often the younger Increased debt Eat less More reliant on access to fuel and water

gathering Worried about the health of their family Loss of gardens

World Health Summit October 2009

Sponsored by Angela Mirkel and Nicholas Sarkovsky

On to Africa October 2009

UN-Habitat

Our mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all.

October meeting – CC and global cities Gender expert advisor

Australian studies

Several years and across Australia Social impacts of drought 2003-4 Rural women’s access to services study -

2004 Impact of drought on rural and remote young

people’s access to education 2006 Rural maternity services study 2007 Declining water availability M-DB 2008 Declining water in Murray River communities

2009 Rural women and CC 2009

Social impacts of CC – national and international Food and water security Poverty and rising debt Health impacts To stay in farming or go? Need for alternative income Lack of work opportunities Migration Involuntary separation of families Stress, health and welfare issues Relationship conflict Community decline Loss of social capital Depopulation – particularly young people Declining resilience

Gender and CC

International evidence from developing countries – Women: More food insecure H’hold work Experience differential poverty More constrained by cultural norms More vulnerable in disasters Work off-farm Low levels of decision making Lack of information

Gender and CC - Australia

Women- Off-farm income generation On-farm work, community work, h’hold work Monitoring health of family and others Ignoring own health Low levels of decision making positions Low acknowledgement of efforts

Men – Physically demanding tasks – feeding and

watering livestock Working daily in barren landscape More socially isolated Mental health and welfare issues

Murray-Darling Basin – Australia’s food bowl – site of current research

Focus groups – women along the Murray River Climate change Water Women in decision making Impact on families Women working Health Women’s issues Impact on communities Young people Ideas

CC

Lack of information Distrust of government Policy on the run - flawed Lack of vision Industry differences Vested interests Federal and local govt need to work together Carbon emissions trading a ‘lost opportunity’

Water

Water complexities – buy back, state differences, general vs high security

Uncertainty over allocations Decoupling land and water Capping of sales – causing hardship Stranded assets and worthless land ‘Willing sellers’ or ‘forced sellers’? Debt Loss of gardens People are getting more water efficient

Women in decision making

Not enough LG processes prohibit women who are time

poor – barriers to participation in time taken Not enough focus on women’s issues Need more women’s events

Impact on families

Adopting different strategies – on and off farm work Aging Making difficult and complex decisions Debt increasing Decline in other work options – feeling ‘trapped’ ‘hanging in’ – leads to increasing debt Dropping EC? – what then? No holidays

Women and work

High priority adaptation More likely women off-farm work Complicated by loss of jobs Some have to move away for work

Work conditions

Lack of workplace flexibility No account for other pressures on women –

eg community work and extracurricular activities

Flexibility needed because ‘working two jobs’ When workplaces not flexible women leave

Pressures surrounding off-farm work

Lack of child care Two jobs Commuting – ‘live on the road’ Lack of telecommunications Distance Lack of transport Break down of social networking and volunteering Not as available for on-farm work and men alone

more Young women know they must work

Positives re work

Brings positive exposure for women Women bring income and expertise to the

farm Money spent on groceries, education, bills,

incidentals

Health

Complex social issues exacerbate health issues

Domestic violence – seems to peak with water announcements, produce cheques and three month bill cycle

Women’s other issues

‘wonder wife’ syndrome Too busy to do more Less time and ‘tired’ Low self esteem Want more focus on ‘social issues’ and ‘human

issues’ Difficult to cope with men’s depression Need coping strategies

‘You marry a farmer its not about the money!’

Impact on community

Depopulation Empty houses Breakdown of networks Reduced quality of life Less able to volunteer – volunteer culture

breaking down People ‘bbqed out’ Community ‘grieving’ People falling through the welfare cracks

Young people

Disadvantaged Country – city divide YA, YA, YA Education access declining Poverty School numbers down Some children have ‘never been to

Melbourne’ Difficulties accessing extracurricular

Needs Vision for rural Rural policy Community development Child care Federal and local govt working together Break down govt siloes Consultation fatigue Resilience and leadership training Social workers in communities Telecommunications centres Mobile coverage Teleworking opportunities Group facilitators to build women’s networking

‘Find a way to bring joy’

Good ideas

Carbon market – rural Solar energy developments in rural areas Renewable energy sites Tourism Indigenous heritage valued Stewardship and Green Corps type jobs

If I could tell one thing to Tony Burke I would say remember it’s about image, about farmers’ image, it’s about self-esteem, it’s about our kids, it’s about being proud of who we are and what we do and not having to apologise for it or justify it … the glaring difference I’ve seen between rural communities here and overseas is that the whole country is supporting and proud of their rural communities. And we’ve lost that somewhere along the way … somewhere in the last two generations … and because we’ve never been hungry, and because we’ve never had any political unrest, and because Australia is the most highly urbanised country in the world, we’ve lost that connectiveness … so please we’re important – connect us back in – give us relevance.

What actions do you we require to address these issues?