Gender Differences in Perception and Awareness of Climate Change in the Suru Valley of Western Himalayas, India

Abstract

The Suru valley of the Ladakh region in the Indian western Himalayas has a cold-arid climate and semi-desert landscape. Any change in climate in this fragile landscape will impact the lives of local communities in the region. The region has limited weather monitoring stations due to which changing climate pattern is not well understood. Understanding gender differential perceptions of climate change will help us in critical engagement and support of local people for action on climate change. This study analyses the gender differences in perception and awareness of climate change in the region. The study involves 270 households where male and female respondents were interviewed in an equal ratio in the nine villages of Suru valley of the western Himalayas, India. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The results reflected that climate change awareness was higher for the men respondents due to their better education and access to mass communication than the women respondents. The perceived climatic changes like high temperature and low snowfall have impacted more on women as water and agriculture are the most affected environmental components. There is a need in creating awareness about climate change impacts through better education among the people especially women in the region. Prioritizing villages having the highest impact in terms of water scarcity, flash floods, avalanches and landslides will help the government and other stakeholders in better implementation of programmes and policies in the region.