Thesis title: Empowering women in post-disaster reconstruction

Citation

(2014), "Thesis title: Empowering women in post-disaster reconstruction", International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Vol. 5 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJDRBE-03-2014-0021

Thesis title: Empowering women in post-disaster reconstruction

Article Type: Doctoral abstracts From: International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Volume 5, Issue 2

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Candidate name: Nirooja Thurairajah
Department: Centre for Disaster Resilience School of the Built Environment
College/university: College of Science and Technology/University of Salford
Country: United Kingdom
Completion date: November 2013
Language of the thesis: English
Thesis supervisor(s): Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga, Professor Richard Haigh
Contact email: mailto:N.Thurairajah1@edu.salford.ac.uk

Thesis abstract

The frequent occurrences of unprecedented natural disasters continue to pose the greatest threat to many countries around the world. The “shock” that these natural disasters give has taken a toll, especially on developing countries’ economies. Many vulnerable groups within these countries are the most severely affected by disasters. Among them, women face many difficulties during the post-disaster phase. Apart from poverty, environmental degradation and different needs of men and women, the marginalised role of women in post-disaster reconstruction (PDR) further contributes to women’s vulnerability in post-disaster situations. In most of the instances, although disaster management efforts are designed to benefit both men and women, in practice, a larger share of benefits and resources go to men while women continue to remain marginalised.

One of the main sustainable means to overcome the marginalised conditions of women is through an adjustment process to allow them to fulfill their basic human development needs. The concept of empowerment is based on the understanding that those who have been denied the ability to make strategic life choices can acquire such ability through this concept. The concept of empowerment facilitates a process whereby individual attitudes and capabilities combined with collaborative actions result in a transformation to the desired achievements.

In this context, the research aims to explore and investigate the concept of empowerment for women within PDR to formulate a strategy that integrates community women’s empowerment in disaster reconstruction activities. This research adapts a survey research strategy with mixed methods of research techniques. The research data collection was conducted in three phases. During the first phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted among experts in Sri Lanka, while the second phase focused on collecting the perspectives from disaster-affected communities using structured interviews and questionnaires. The third phase gathered information from groups of the affected communities’ members. Data were then analysed using content analysis, cognitive mapping and descriptive statistical techniques.

It is expected that the research will add empirical evidence on the process of women’s empowerment in PDR to the existing body of knowledge. The research explored the difficulties that women face in post-disaster situations; the opportunities and obstacles that PDR could bring into the communities; the roles that women could play in reconstruction; current practices on women’s empowerment in Sri Lanka within the PDR context; and the factors that influence women’s empowerment. In addition, because it is important to gather women’s perspectives on their own empowerment, empirical evidence was collected from women and men in the community and experts who work on these disciplines. Finally, the research formulated strategies that integrate women’s empowerment into PDR. In addition, it is believed that this contribution on the understanding of the research problem and the formulated strategies which were suggested by people and experts would add greater contribution to the practice, including the ministry of child development and women’s affairs in Sri Lanka, which is looking forward to bringing in new policies related to women’s empowerment. Further, it can help humanitarian organisations which are involved in women’s development projects in Sri Lanka, and other research institutions.