The influence of climate change vulnerability on gender inequality: evidence from international comparisons

The complexities and evolving nature of climate change pose significant uncertainties for global sustainable development. This paper uniquely examines the impact of climate change vulnerability on gender equality, a critical Sustainable Development Goal, using data from 154 countries between 1995 and 2021. Our findings reveal that climate change vulnerability significantly exacerbates gender inequality, with substantial variations across countries. Countries with effective governance and lower economic risks exhibit reduced sensitivity to climate change vulnerability. Mechanism analysis indicates that climate change primarily increases vulnerability in the food and habitat sectors. This jeopardizes women’s reproductive security and widens the gender gap in education and political power. Additionally, a non-linear relationship exists, where the impact of climate change vulnerability decreases as gender inequality is lower. Finally, we demonstrate that social investments in climate adaptation can effectively mitigate gender disparities exacerbated by climate change. These findings support integrating gender equality with climate action for sustainable development. Governments should enhance efficiency and political stability, invest in climate adaptation, and promote women's participation in climate governance.Understanding the impact of climate change on gender equality is crucial for guiding equitable and sustainable societal development (Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality).Our findings show that climate change exacerbates vulnerabilities in food and habitat sectors, threatens women’s reproductive security, and increases the gender gap in education and political power.We provide evidence that the capacity for investment in climate adaptation generally reduces gender inequality exacerbated by climate change vulnerability.Advancing gender-responsive approaches requires integrating gender into climate policies, setting clear targets, and empowering women in decision-making within a gender mainstreaming framework.