Examination of Women's Exposure Levels to Disasters Using the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

Creating community resilience is deemed essential to reduce the severity of negative impacts resulting from disasters and thereby prevent loss of life. One of the most effective ways to enhance resilience is to identify vulnerable points. It is crucial not to overlook which parts of the community are more vulnerable and which are more resilient. Consequently, addressing gender inequality through the concept of social gender equality is important. Enhancing the resilience of individuals identified as vulnerable (women, children, the elderly, and the disabled) regarding disasters and ensuring the sustainability of this resilience is critical. However, operationalizing resilience frameworks is not easy due to their dynamic nature. Therefore, a comprehensive social resilience method needs to be developed. Such a method, customized for the specific resilience traits of each context, can ensure that resilience assessments are uniform across various regions. For example, the action plan implemented within the Sendai Framework can be developed and sustained with a gender equality perspective aimed at strengthening vulnerable structures (women, children, etc.) across all geographies. Disasters are seen as more related to and significant in terms of societal perspectives on gender, rather than just biological (male-female) sex. In light of all this, this study aims to explore the relationship between the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) and gender equality. Through a literature review, it seeks to highlight the importance of generating disaggregated data during disaster preparedness and adapting emergency tools and practices to meet gender-specific needs. The analysis will focus on how gender considerations can be better integrated into disaster risk reduction efforts, aligning with the Sendai Framework's goals of inclusivity and resilience. As a result, it is observed that women and girls are much more affected compared to men.