Building Equitable Futures: Gender and Reconstruction in The Face of Multiple Disasters in Coastal Ecuador

As cascading disasters become increasingly prevalent worldwide, it is imperative that anthropologists study the unequal recovery outcomes and the processes that produce them. Drawing on ethnographic research in the coastal Ecuadorian village of Don Juan, I examine the cumulative effects of cascading disasters and recovery on gender relations. In addition to suffering the consequences of the 2016 earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic, the coast is characterized by political conflict, poverty, and gender-based violence. By centering relationships and systemic dimensions, this study shifts the analysis from the immediate consequences of one disaster to the everyday spheres of change and long-term practices of building equitable futures amid multiple disasters. First, I compare different modes of housing reconstruction to argue that while the earthquake brought in its wake relief and new opportunities for some residents, the uneven government-sponsored reconstruction often deepened socioeconomic and gender inequities. At the same time, nongovernmental housing allocation targeted women as agents of change by assigning them housing titles. While this has led to some opportunities for women, they often remain financially dependent on their partners, which limits their options. Second, by analyzing the earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic, I challenge the chronological framework often used in disaster scholarship to highlight the overlapping impacts that experiencing disasters of different scales has had on residents’ perceptions and abilities to face future disasters. The pandemic made residents perceive the earthquake as a time of abundance of resources and state support. I demonstrate that residents drew on the experiences gained during displacement that followed previous disasters to navigate the pandemic when no outside support was available. Finally, I examine a community-based NGO and its efforts to introduce reconstruction “otherwise” alongside residents. In comparison to other reconstruction initiatives, the organization’s long-term engagement in the context of an absent State has benefited the community, particularly concerning youth literacy and women's professional development. I highlight both local tensions and support in response to the NGO’s introduction of new practices, showing what can be learned from the Don Juan community and its significance for future research on gender and other inequities in the aftermath of disasters.