Women and climate adaptation in South Africa: a gender-responsive policy review

This article examines how South African climate adaptation policies conceptualize and operationalize gender-responsive adaptation, with particular attention to women’s vulnerability, agency, and participation in climate governance. Rather than employing a systematic review, the study adopts a qualitative policy review and interpretive analysis, drawing on peer-reviewed academic literature, national legislation and policy documents, government strategies, and international normative frameworks related to gender equality, climate adaptation, and disaster risk reduction. The study conducted a review of 14 purposively chosen policy documents, such as the National Climate Change Adaptation strategy, the Climate Change Act 2024, and the National Development Plan. This review employed thematic coding, drawing on Intersectionality Theory and the Gender and Development (GAD) Approach. The analysis reveals that while South Africa has developed comprehensive climate and development policies, gender considerations remain weakly operationalised within adaptation planning and implementation. Structural barriers, including inadequate gender mainstreaming, limited gender-responsive budgeting, fragmented institutional coordination, and insufficient political commitment, continue to constrain women’s adaptive capacity. The findings demonstrate that women’s empowerment is not positioned as a core pillar of climate resilience, resulting in adaptation strategies that insufficiently address intersecting vulnerabilities. The article argues that meaningful gender- responsive adaptation requires institutional reforms that embed intersectionality, strengthen women’s agency in governance, and align climate action with broader socio-economic transformation goals. Policy recommendations include institutionalizing gender-responsive budgeting, enhancing participatory climate governance, and strengthening accountability mechanisms across national and local adaptation processes.