Public policy in India, which has one of the highest gender pay gaps, pays lip service to women’s issues and while they cannot be called gender-blind, they are gender exploitative, said development economist Jayati Ghosh at a photo exhibition organised by Poovulagin Nanbargal, an environmental organisation, in Chennai, on Friday. “Government policies about climate change still have not absorbed the fact that you have to be proactive about it and not reactive. So, let us deal with this in a way that brings in all departments, ministries to work out a strategy to reduce human costs, and specifically costs to women,” Ms. Ghosh said.
Stressing the need for States and societies to listen to women at the forefront of climate adversities, Ms. Ghosh said there are five ‘R’ that are important. “Recognise the [unpaid] work and the role women are playing in climate adaptation in terms of the increased care work they are doing. Reduce adverse impacts of climate and burden of unpaid work. Redistribute unpaid work within families. [Financially] reward unpaid workers,” she said, adding that it is also critical to represent women’s interests and needs at a policy level while taking into consideration the intersectionalities of caste and class.
The photo exhibition showcased the lives of women in Ennore, where recent incidents of oil spill and ammonia leak disrupted local livelihoods, and those near the coal mines of Neyveli. Inaugurated by film director Vetrimaaran, the photographs were shot by Vignesh and Thiyagu, who are part of Poovulagin Nanbargal.
Ms. Ghosh said the last photo at the exhibition, showing a group of women in Ennore protesting against the ammonia leak, illustrates the power mobilisation of women can bring in driving change.
Economists typically talk about distributed inequality in terms of income and ownership but there are other aspects, such as relational inequality, of which gender inequality is a part, and occupational segregation, which forces women into care work and other work that are seemingly less skilled, she added.
