“We Live in Fear”: The Vulnerability of Woman-Headed Households During Floods in South Africa

Climate-induced disasters are escalating globally, with profound impacts in South Africa, mostly affecting marginalised individuals and communities. The recurring floods between 2022, 2023, and 2024 in the South African provinces of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and the Eastern Cape (EC) have exposed the exceptional vulnerability of woman-headed households living in rural communities and in informal settlements. This study explores the lived experiences of woman-headed households who survived flood events and analyse how gender, class, and environmental injustice intersect to shape their vulnerability and resilience. Utilising a qualitative descriptive design, this article is guided by the Social Justice theory and Eco-social feminist perspective. It interrogates the intersections of climate change, gender inequality, and socio-economic precarity, using empirical data from eighteen (18) women flood survivors to foreground the vulnerabilities and resilience strategies of woman-headed households. The findings of the in-depth individual interviews and thematic analysis illustrate the compounding effects of structural violence, economic precarity, intensified caregiving burdens, and housing insecurity. It became clear that participants were not only profoundly affected but were also first responders, organisers, and caregivers in the absence of immediate state support. The study advocates for a feminist-informed, eco-justice-aligned social work praxis that centres lived experiences and community resilience in disaster preparedness, mitigation, and recovery. Ultimately, the article reveals the urgent need for gender-sensitive disaster risk reduction strategies and the enhanced integration of social work in climate adaptation interventions. A justice-oriented approach is urgently needed to address the systemic failures that render woman-headed households vulnerable to recurring climate disasters.