Resumen

OMS. Programa Mujer, Salud y Desarrollo. Género y desastres naturales. Revista Virtual REDESMA [online]. 2011, vol.5, n.2, pp. 39-44. ISSN 1995-1078.

Human beings have been at the mercy of natural disasters since the beginning of time. Floods, fires, earthquakes and tremors, mudslides, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunami, tropical storms, ice storms, landslides, droughts and famine consistently remind us of how vulnerable we are. The recent increase in attention to the effects of natural disasters has resulted in a plethora of different perspectives on the issue. In particular, several authors have brought a gender focus to the analysis of disaster mitigation and response, with some very interesting results (See Enarson, Delaney and Shrader, Byrne and Baden). The image of the suffering woman and child during a disaster is a popular one in the media. Women are disproportionately affected by natural disasters, usually as a result of their gendered status in society. What the media does not show, however is that women are a vital part of disaster mitigation and response efforts, whether acting within their traditional gender roles, or transcending them.

Palabras llave : Physical, social, psychological and economic vulnerability; marginalized; gender focus.