How is gender investigated in African climate change research: a systematic review of the literature
Brief about:
Journal Article (2021)
Written by:
A systematic review of all 260 studies published in the Web of Science on gender and climate change in Africa
A systematic review to asses the major findings/themes found in literature around gender & climate change in Africa, and identify biases and gaps for further research.
Research on the topic took off around 2013, so is quite recent. Under half is available open access. Research institutions on the African continent that aren’t subscribed to the major research databases will not have access to the literature.
The majority of studies are conducted at the local level; comparative case studies within communities are particularly popular, as opposed to regional/continental/global levels The methods that are most commonly used are survey data & individual interviews. Funding for this research comes largely from federal/national agencies of countries in the global north: USAID, the EU, Germany, DFID, IDRC. Consequently, there may be a bias/constraint to the type of research being pursued and types of questions asked.
Key findings
- There is a focus/bias in this research on 10 particular countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and South Africa.What it means
Some very populous countries are missing: Egypt, Algeria, Sudan, Morocco, etc. This is probably in part due to English not being a main language in these countries, among other reasons.
- Some countries like Somalia, CAR, Eritrea, DR Congo, Guinea-Bissau are dramatically missing from the research, but are ranked among the most vulnerable to climate change in the ND Gain Index, and have the least capacity to respond to a changing climate.
Proposed action
- We need to focus on asking new questions that go beyond the individual/household level and focus on institutions and structures- to include political and economic actors
- Research questions should be based on the values and mental models of the people in the context being studied; formulated in Africa rather than the global north
- A wider range of methods should be used with more nuanced views of gender- not just a comparison of men vs women's perceptions, knowledge and vulnerabilities but in terms of relational power dynamics
Develop an intersectional analysis of different types of men and women
- Research should go beyond analysis of local practices & adaptations and investigate (global) institutions that are contributing the environmental changes & climate difficulties
- More gender and climate research is needed on key areas
land conflict, coastal regions, education, energy, migration, urban areas and water; and in underrepresented countries:Somalia, CAR, Eritrea, DR Congo, Guinea-Bissau
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Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Ben Levett for preparation assistance
We would like to extend a special thank you to Ben Levett, for their invaluable contribution in assisting the preparation of this research summary.
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How is gender investigated in African climate change research: a systematic review of the literature
Cite this brief: Vercillo, Siera. 'How is gender investigated in African climate change research: a systematic review of the literature'. Acume. https://www.acume.org/r/how-is-gender-investigated-in-african-climate-change-research-a-systematic-review-of-the-literature/
Brief created by: Dr Siera Vercillo | Year brief made: 2022
Original research:
- Vercillo, S., ‘How is gender investigated in African climate change research: a systematic review of the literature’ 51(4) (pp. 1045–1062) https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01631. – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34669170/
Research brief:
A systematic review of all 260 studies published in the Web of Science on gender and climate change in Africa
A systematic review to asses the major findings/themes found in literature around gender & climate change in Africa, and identify biases and gaps for further research.
Research on the topic took off around 2013, so is quite recent. Under half is available open access. Research institutions on the African continent that aren’t subscribed to the major research databases will not have access to the literature.
The majority of studies are conducted at the local level; comparative case studies within communities are particularly popular, as opposed to regional/continental/global levels The methods that are most commonly used are survey data & individual interviews. Funding for this research comes largely from federal/national agencies of countries in the global north: USAID, the EU, Germany, DFID, IDRC. Consequently, there may be a bias/constraint to the type of research being pursued and types of questions asked.
Findings:
There is a focus/bias in this research on 10 particular countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and South Africa.
Some very populous countries are missing: Egypt, Algeria, Sudan, Morocco, etc. This is probably in part due to English not being a main language in these countries, among other reasons.
Some countries like Somalia, CAR, Eritrea, DR Congo, Guinea-Bissau are dramatically missing from the research, but are ranked among the most vulnerable to climate change in the ND Gain Index, and have the least capacity to respond to a changing climate.
Advice:
We need to focus on asking new questions that go beyond the individual/household level and focus on institutions and structures- to include political and economic actors
Research questions should be based on the values and mental models of the people in the context being studied; formulated in Africa rather than the global north
A wider range of methods should be used with more nuanced views of gender- not just a comparison of men vs women’s perceptions, knowledge and vulnerabilities but in terms of relational power dynamics
- Develop an intersectional analysis of different types of men and women
Research should go beyond analysis of local practices & adaptations and investigate (global) institutions that are contributing the environmental changes & climate difficulties
More gender and climate research is needed on key areas
- land conflict, coastal regions, education, energy, migration, urban areas and water; and in underrepresented countries:Somalia, CAR, Eritrea, DR Congo, Guinea-Bissau