Climate Adaptation and Gender

Two facts characterise the labour force in the 21st century. First, certain livelihoods are becoming unsustainable due to climate change. This is particularly true in developing countries, where agricultural employment is higher and productivity depends on temperature and precipitation. Second, certain economic activities are highly segregated by gender. These differences are partly driven by comparative advantage. For example, Qian (2008) discusses how men are better suited to orchard production, which demands height and physical strength, whereas women's dexterity affords them an advantage in picking tea leaves. However, research has also documented the role played by cultural norms in constraining employment choices, with important implications for economic development (Jayachandran, 2021).

In this research, I will study the intersection of these two issues: how does climate change impact gender segregation patterns across economic activities in developing countries? In certain settings, climatic changes have disproportionately harmed returns to jobs dominated by one gender. For example, the practice of herding livestock, traditionally a male activity among pastoralist communities in East Africa, has been seriously threatened by droughts in recent decades (Bollig, 2006). The highest available returns to men's labour might now be found in female-dominated activities, such as petty trade, thus reducing gender divisions. Within-household effects might also arise, with women increasing their labour supply to attenuate income shortfalls (Attanasio et al., 2005). However, the extent of such adaptations will depend on norms restricting individuals to specific activities, diversions from which may have social costs (Oh, 2021).

To answer my research question, I will exploit cross-sectional and temporal variation in labour supply and climate data. The Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) provides nationally representative, geocoded data on the time use of household members. To measure the precise spatial and temporal variation in these climatic shocks, I employ SPEI drought data. Crucially for my analysis, data is available globally and up to the present. These datasets will be combined in a regression of the hours dedicated to different economic activities on climatic shocks. By including fixed effects and relevant controls, I will seek to uncover the causal effect of climate on gender-based occupational segregation.