Abstract
Understanding whether adverse shocks have gender-differentiated effects is crucial for building the resilience of women. This chapter reviews the relationship between income shocks induced by extreme weather events in Africa and women empowerment as measured through human capital variables, marriage and fertility decisions, exposure to violence and economic independence. It also discusses the channels explaining the effect of weather shocks on women empowerment and provides policy recommendations on how to address the challenges this relationship poses.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
On the role of social norms such as bride price payment on fertility decisions also see Mbaye and Wagner (2017).
References
Abiona, O. (2017). The Impact of Unanticipated Economic Shocks on the Demand for Contraceptives: Evidence from Uganda. Health Economics, 26(12), 1696–1709.
Abiona, O., & Koppensteiner, M. F. (2016). The Impact of Household Shocks on Domestic Violence: Evidence from Tanzania. Discussion Papers in Economics 16/14.
African Economic Outlook. (2018). African Development Bank Group.
Aizer, A. (2010). The Gender Wage Gap and Domestic Violence. American Economic Review, 100(4), 1847–1859. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.100.4.1847.
Anderberg, D., & Rainer, H. (2013). Economic Abuse: A Theory of Intrahousehold Sabotage. Journal of Public Economics, 97, 282–295.
Asfaw, S., & Maggio, G. (2018). Gender, Weather Shocks and Welfare: Evidence from Malawi. The Journal of Development Studies, 54(2), 271–291.
Bbaale, E. (2011). Female Education, Labour-Force Participation and Fertility: Evidence from Uganda (Report submitted to the African Economic Research Consortium). Nairobi. Unpublished Manuscript.
Baird, S., McIntosh, C., & Özler, B. (2011). Cash or Condition? Evidence from a Randomized Cash Transfer Program. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 126(4), 1709–1753. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjr032.
Bandara, A., Dehejia, R., & Lavie-Rouse, S. (2015). The Impact of Income and Non-income Shocks on Child Labor: Evidence from a Panel Survey of Tanzania. World Development, 67, 218–237.
Basu, K., & Van, P. H. (1998). The Economics of Child Labor. American Economic Review, 88, 412–427.
Beaman, L., Duflo, E., Pande, R., & Topalova, P. (2012). Female Leadership Raises Aspirations and Educational Attainment for Girls: A Policy Experiment in India. Science, 335(6068), 582–586.
Beegle, K., Dehejia, R. H., & Gatti, R. (2006). Child Labor and Agricultural Shocks. Journal of Development Economics, 81(1), 80–96.
Behringer, W. (1999). Climatic Change and Witch-Hunting: The Impact of the Little Ice Age on Mentalities. Climatic Change, 43(1), 335–351.
Behrman, J. R., & Knowles, J. C. (1999). Household Income and Child Schooling in Vietnam. The World Bank Economic Review, 13(2), 211–256.
Benson, M. L., Fox, G. L., DeMaris, A., & Van Wyk, J. (2003). Neighborhood Disadvantage, Individual Economic Distress and Violence Against Women in Intimate Relationships. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 19(3), 207–235.
Bhalotra, S. R., Kambhampati, U. S., Rawlings, S., & Siddique, Z. (2018). Intimate Partner Violence and the Business Cycle. IZA Discussion Papers No. 11274. Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
Björkman-Nyqvist, M. (2013). Income Shocks and Gender Gap in Education: Evidence from Uganda. Journal of Development Economics, 105, 237–253.
Cain, M. (1981). Risk and Insurance: Perspectives on Fertility and Agrarian Change in India and Bangladesh. Population and Development Review, 7(3), 435–474.
Cain, M. (1983). Fertility as an Adjustment to Risk. Population and Development Review, 9, 688–702.
Cools, S., & Kotsadam, A. (2017). Resources and Intimate Partner Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa. World Development, 95, 211–230.
Corno, L., Hildebrandt, N., & Voena A. (2017). Age of Marriage, Weather Shocks, and the Direction of Marriage Payments. Unpublished Manuscript.
Corno, L., & Voena A. (2016). Selling Daughters: Age of Marriage, Income Shocks and the Bride Price Tradition. Unpublished Manuscript.
Dercon, S., & Krishnan, P. (2000). In Sickness and in Health: Risk Sharing Within Households in Rural Ethiopia. Journal of Political Economy, 108(4), 688–727. https://doi.org/10.1086/316098.
Diop-Sidibé, N., Campbell, J. C., & Becker, S. (2006). Domestic Violence Against Women in Egypt—Wife Beating and Health Outcomes. Social Science & Medicine, 62(5), 1260–1277.
Drèze, J., & Murthi, M. (2001). Fertility, Education, and Development: Evidence from India. Population and Development Review, 27(1), 33–63. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2001.00033.x.
Duflo, E. (2012). Women Empowerment and Economic Development. Journal of Economic Literature, 50(4), 1051–1079. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.50.4.1051.
Miguel, E. (2005). Poverty and Witch Killing. Review of Economic Studies, 72(4), 1153–1172, Oxford University Press.
Miguel, E., Satyanath, S., & Sergenti, E. (2004). Economic Shocks and Civil Conflict: An Instrumental Variables Approach. Journal of Political Economy, 112(4), 725–753.
Fafchamps, M., & Shilpi, F. (2014). Education and Household Welfare. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 63(1), 73–115. https://doi.org/10.1086/677805.
Field, E., & Ambrus, A. (2008). Early Marriage, Age of Menarche and Female Schooling Attainment in Bangladesh. Journal of Political Economy, 116(5), 881–930.
Grimm, M. (2017). Rainfall Risk, Fertility and Development: Evidence from Farm Settlements during the American Demographic Transition. Ruhr Economic Papers, No. 718. RWI—Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
Heise, L. L., Raikes, A., Watts, C. H., & Zwi, A. B. (1994). Violence Against Women: A Neglected Public Health Issue in Less Developed Countries. Social Science and Medicine, 39(9), 1165–1179.
IPCC. (2012). Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation. A Special Report of Working Groups I and II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (C. B. Field, V. Barros, T. F. Stocker, D. Qin, D. J. Dokken, K. L. Ebi, M. D. Mastrandrea, K. J. Mach, G.-K. Plattner, S. K. Allen, M. Tignor, & P. M. Midgley, eds., 582pp.). Cambridge, UK and New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Jensen, R., & Thornton, R. (2003). Early Female Marriage in the Developing World. Gender & Development, 11(2), 9–19.
Jewkes, R. (2002). Preventing Domestic Violence: Most Women Welcome Inquiries, But Doctors and Nurses Rarely Ask About It. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 324(7332), 253.
Kishor, S., & Johnson, K. (2004). Profiling Domestic Violence: A Multi-country Study. Calverton, MD: ORC Macro.
Maccini, S., & Yang, D. (2009). Under the Weather: Health, Schooling, and Economic Consequences of Early-Life Rainfall. American Economic Review, 99(3), 1006–1026, American Economic Association.
Malhotra, A., Schuler, S. R., & Boender, C. (2002). Measuring Women’s Empowerment as a Variable in International Development. Washington, DC: World Bank.
Marchetta, F., & Sahn, D. E. (2016). The Role of Education and Family Background in Marriage, Childbearing and Labor Market Participation in Senegal. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 64(2), 369–403. https://doi.org/10.1086/683982.
Mbaye, L. M., & Wagner, N. (2017). Bride Price and Fertility Decisions: Evidence from Rural Senegal. Journal of Development Studies, 53(6), 891–910, Taylor & Francis Journals.
Miller, G. (2010). Contraception as Development? New Evidence from Family Planning in Colombia. Economic Journal, 120(545), 709–736.
Osili, U. O., & Long, B. T. (2008). Does Female Schooling Reduce Fertility? Evidence from Nigeria. Journal of Development Economics, 87, 57–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2007.10.003.
Oster, E. (2004). Witchcraft, Weather and Economic Growth in Renaissance Europe. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 18(1), 215–228.
Pörtner, C. C. (2011). Gone with the Wind? Hurricane Risk, Fertility and Education. Mimeo: Seattle University.
Quisumbing, A. R., Kumar, N., & Behrman, J. A. (2018). Do Shocks Affect Men’s and Women’s Assets Differently? Evidence from Bangladesh and Uganda. Development Policy Review, 36(1), 3–34.
Rakib, M., & Matz, J. A. (2016). The Impact of Shocks on Gender-Differentiated Asset Dynamics in Bangladesh. The Journal of Development Studies, 52(3), 377–395.
Rawlings, S., & Siddique, Z. (2014). Domestic Abuse and Child Health. IZA Discussion Papers No. 8566. Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
Ringen, S. (1988). Direct and Indirect Measures of Poverty. Journal of Social Policy, 17(3), 351–366.
Rose, E. (1999). Consumption Smoothing and Excess Female Mortality in Rural India. Review of Economics and Statistics, 81(1), 41–49.
Samman, E., & Santos, M. E. (2009). Agency and Empowerment: A Review of Concepts, Indicators and Empirical Evidence. Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative.
Sekhri, S., & Storeygard, A. (2014). Dowry Deaths: Response to Weather Variability in India. Journal of Development Economics, 111, 212–223.
Sen, A. (1999). Development as Freedom. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
van den Bold, M., Quisumbing, A., & Gillespie, S.. (2013). Women’s Empowerment and Nutrition: An Evidence Review. IFPRI Discussion Paper No. 1294. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.
Yount, K. M., Crandall, A., & Cheong, Y. F. (2018). Women’s Age at First Marriage and Long-term Economic Empowerment in Egypt. World Development, 102, 124–134.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mbaye, L.M. (2020). Weather Shocks and Women Empowerment. In: Konte, M., Tirivayi, N. (eds) Women and Sustainable Human Development. Gender, Development and Social Change. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14935-2_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14935-2_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-14934-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-14935-2
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)