Mainstreaming women's needs with disaster risk reduction in the built environment: preliminary findings

This paper is based on a doctoral research that aims to investigate how women?s needs can be mainstreamed into disaster risk reduction in the built environment. The paper reviews literature to emphasise the importance of gender mainstreaming in disaster risk reduction and presents the findings of the study?s literature review and its pilot interviews. Methodology of the overall research is briefly explained in addition to the methods used to prepare this paper. Literature suggests that women face different conditions in disasters due to their different social roles and responsibilities and as a result, women have different needs in disaster risk reduction. In fulfilling the needs of women in disaster risk reduction, the built environment performs a significant role. In this context, it is identified that gender mainstreaming can integrate a gender perspective into disaster risk reduction in the built environment and identify the varying needs and vulnerabilities of women. The paper presents its findings to indicate that women?s involvement in decision making in the construction industry, consultation of community women, conducting needs assessment and construction briefing are possible ways of mainstreaming women?s needs into disaster risk reduction in the built environment