Gendered vulnerabilities to climate change: Insights from Bor County, Jonglei State of South Sudan

Abstract

Documented evidence suggests that South Sudan is one of the most vulnerable countries regarding climate change. The vulnerability varies in different disaggregated groups of people, based on their societal position in a socially and gendered structure within a spatio-temporal space. This underlines the importance of understanding what may be referred to as “contextual conditions” that underpin the gender experiences of vulnerability to external shocks. This paper draws on evidence obtained from a field study in Bor County of Jonglei State of South Sudan and secondary data. It takes the position that not only is gender a powerful and pervasive contextual condition, but it also intersects with other existing factors. Therefore, manifestations of gendered vulnerability to climate change are the results of complex and interlinked factors. The paper offers some insights into understanding gendered vulnerabilities in Bor County. It concludes that gendered vulnerabilities to climate change and conflict are embedded in gender roles, traditional livelihoods, cultural norms, marital practices and resilience mechanisms. It recommends modernization and incorporation of indigenous knowledge in climate resilience action, measures to ensure that livelihood opportunities do not benefit men at women’s expense, identification and maximization of economic opportunities in women’s traditional domains such as milk processing and community conversations on cultural norms and practices that perpetuate women’s subordination.