Women hit more by climate risk than men

The world's climate is changing. All of us will ultimately be affected by climatic shifts - but some will be hit harder than others. On the African continent, for instance, small businesses are on the front lines of climate change. Over 50 per cent of the African labour force works in agriculture, which is both exposed to and dependent on climatic variability and change. But even businesses in urban centres are increasingly dealing with climate-induced challenges. These include unstable water and power supplies, extreme heat and flooding. These hazards interrupt processing and manufacturing activities. They also limit transportation of goods and make it harder to provide services to customers. And they increase the risk of unsafe working conditions.

This is true for any business owner, regardless of gender. But our research, published in WIRES Climate Change, suggests that women entrepreneurs in Africa are more vulnerable to climate change than their male counterparts. There are at least three key reasons for this. First, women entrepreneurs are often more exposed to climate risk because of the sectors, activities and types of businesses that they tend to be concentrated in. Second, women's businesses also face additional barriers to adapting to climate change in the business environment. And, third, women are also often on the front line of managing climate risk at household levels.
As a result, climate shocks, when they occur, are likely to disproportionately erode women entrepreneurs' ability to cope with climate change in the future.