Gender

The physical, socio-economic and political impact of humanitarian crisis will often fall disproportionately upon women and girls. Over the past decades there has been a growing recognition of the gendered consequences of humanitarian emergencies, and with it a growth in specialized programming to ensure that the assistance and protection needs of women are met. In particular, women tend to be overrepresented among adult displaced/refugee populations and to bear disproportionate responsibilities for the care of family members during crisis situations. For those reasons, aid efforts with a specific focus on women and girls must be 'mainstreamed' into every response. UN Women plays a key role in the UN, while most of the main UN agencies and NGOs have resources dedicated to issues affecting women and girls.

Woman building shelter

Photo: Pablo Tosco/Oxfam

Key actors

Works to ensure equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of humanitarian action

GBV AoR is the global level forum for coordination and collaboration under the cluster approach on GBV prevention and response in humanitarian settings

Researches the needs of displaced women, children, and youth, and advocates for programs and policies to strengthen their resilience

Key references

Overview and examples of how to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in its humanitarian work

Tools for the job

Tool to help with the calculation of the quality of humanitarian programming related to gender equality

Specialized resources

Special feature of the Humanitarian Exchange magazine focusing on gender-based violence in humanitarian crises

Latest discussions