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Social Vulnerability, Gender and Disasters. The Case of Haiti in 2010

Author

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  • Mar Llorente-Marrón

    (Department of Quantitative Economics, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain)

  • Montserrat Díaz-Fernández

    (Department of Quantitative Economics, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain)

  • Paz Méndez-Rodríguez

    (Department of Quantitative Economics, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain)

  • Rosario González Arias

    (Department of Sociology, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain)

Abstract

The study of vulnerability constitutes a central axis in research work on sustainability. Social vulnerability (SV) analyzes differences in human capacity to prepare, respond and recover from the impact of a natural hazard. Although disasters threaten all the people who suffer from them, they do not affect all members of society in the same way. Social and economic inequalities make certain groups more vulnerable. Factors such as age, sex, social class and ethnic identity increase vulnerability to a natural disaster. Ten years after the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, this work deepens the relationship between natural disasters, SV and gender, exploring the unequal distribution of the SV in the face of a seismic risk. The source of statistical information has been obtained from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), developed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Multicriteria decision techniques (TOPSIS) and the differences in differences (DID) technique are used to analyze variations in gender inequality in SV as a result of the catastrophic event. The results obtained reinforce the idea of the negative impact of the disaster on the SV. Additionally, an intensification of the negative effects is observed when the household is headed by a woman, increasing the gap in SV between households headed by women and the rest of the households. The conclusions obtained show additional evidence of the negative effects caused by natural disasters on women, and important implications for disaster risk management are derived that should not be ignored.

Suggested Citation

  • Mar Llorente-Marrón & Montserrat Díaz-Fernández & Paz Méndez-Rodríguez & Rosario González Arias, 2020. "Social Vulnerability, Gender and Disasters. The Case of Haiti in 2010," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-21, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:9:p:3574-:d:351288
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    2. Manuel Sousa & Maria Fatima Almeida & Rodrigo Calili, 2021. "Multiple Criteria Decision Making for the Achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: A Systematic Literature Review and a Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-37, April.

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