A Gendered Approach to Understanding Climate Change Impacts in Rural Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter explores climate change impacts and the related experiences and realities of local women in rural Kyrgyzstan by combining research on the physical impacts of climate change in the Central Asian region with an analysis of ethnographic accounts of local people’s farming and energy-use practices. Our analysis reveals how interlinked material, social and cultural realities of local communities manifest in social differentiation that enables or limits women’s capacities to cope with climate change and engage in adaptation practices. The post-Soviet period has diminished rural women’s access to social protection and economic opportunities while reinforcing patriarchal gender norms, depriving women of land ownership rights and decision-making power over strategic life decisions.