Mainstreaming women in disaster risk reduction in the built environment

Mainstreaming women in disaster risk reduction in the built environment

Article Type: Doctoral abstract From: International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Volume 6, Issue 2

Degree: PhD

Candidate name: Kanchana Ginige

Department: School of the Built Environment

College/university: University of Salford

Country: UK

Completion date: December 2014

Language of the thesis: English

Thesis supervisor(s): Dilanthi Amaratunga and Richard Haigh

Postal address: QSBG/01, Queen Street Building, School of Art, Design & Architecture, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK

Contact email: mailto:K.Ginige@hud.ac.uk

Thesis abstract

Natural disasters have long-term implications on sustainable development. They mainly destroy the built environment (BE), thereby, hindering economic and social development, and causing environment degradation. Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the BE is, therefore, critical for ensuring sustainable development. Improving the resilience of humans who live in the BE, particularly the more vulnerable, is a significant component of accomplishing overall DRR in the BE. Having observed women to be a group of humans more vulnerable to natural disasters due to social, economic and biological conditions and processes and their roles and responsibilities, it was recognized that it is important to mainstream them into DRR within the context of the BE. In this context, this doctoral research investigates the process of mainstreaming women, that is how the knowledge and needs of women, which help to reduce their disaster vulnerability, can be identified and integrated into the BE. The research design of the study incorporates a social constructivism view point and associates with constructionism ontology and interpretivism epistemology. A literature review and a pilot round of interviews with experts in DRR in the BE were undertaken to improve the knowledge of the associated concepts pertaining to the research. Empirical investigation of the study incorporates a single-case, mono-method research which deploys qualitative, in-depth interviews for data collection. Sri Lanka is the case study for the research, while the interview respondents are a group of professionals involved in DRR in the BE of the country. Data analysis for the study follows thematic analysis and combines inductive reasoning and abductive reasoning to build systematic, explanatory accounts from concepts and meanings embedded in the interview responses. The study reveals the importance of the process of mainstreaming women into DRR in the BE while demonstrating the various types of DRR knowledge and needs of women, methods that facilitate identification of the needs and knowledge and the ways of integrating them into the built environment. A set of guidelines is developed to inform the process of mainstreaming, identifying the existing barriers, ways of promoting the process, parties responsible, relevant protocols and suggestions for good practice in implementing the process. Improvements to the regulatory framework, enhancement of essential resources and building awareness of all relevant parties are considered to be the main ways toward process improvement.