Redefining resilience: Women in times of crisis  

During times of crisis, it is often said that women are able to keep their heads up and are always able to bounce back. Despite being underestimated and underappreciated, women are the backbones of societies and families. However, this also means that women are more vulnerable and disproportionately affected by disasters and conflict. As geopolitical events are unfolding, women are not the only ones who bear the brunt of rising conflicts. While there are studies on how conflict and disasters directly affect women, what is often overlooked is the impact of geopolitical events on the day-to-day lives of people, particularly women.

With the weight of all these issues weighing on women, can they still be resilient in times of conflict?

‘Ilaw ng Tahanan’

In the Philippines, women are considered the “Light of the Household” or “Ilaw ng Tahanan.”

The responsibility for household care—healthcare, domestic work and childcare—is borne by women, in addition to jobs outside the house.

Household care work can be paid or unpaid, but women usually bear the burden of unpaid care work. As women are disadvantaged when it comes to care work, geopolitical events and disasters exacerbate their difficulties.

It is the women who are compelled to maintain a sense of normalcy and shield the family from further impact.

Women also carry a heavier burden as social gender norms require self-sacrificing behavior from them. Women forego food to make ends meet and prioritize the family before themselves. This means that external shocks expose vulnerabilities and place women in even more precarious situations. While they may appear to be resilient on the outside, this does not imply that it is not a pressing issue that should be addressed by the whole of society.

The impact is even worse on women who are living on the economic margins. Their everyday lives are affected by rising prices of food, fuel and other basic commodities. Economic crises not only reveal class disparities but accentuate gender inequalities within households and reduce opportunities for social empowerment. As geopolitical events seem to have no end in sight, how long must women be resilient before families, communities and nations share the burden that they carry?

Redefining women’s resilience

Resilience is not just a buzzword that is meant to uplift women and make them feel better despite the weight they carry.

Resilience should mean women’s ability to anticipate, mitigate, adapt and recover from aftershocks in a way that reduces their vulnerability. Empowering women is crucial to strengthening nations’ resilience to disasters and conflict.

My experience working with women in multiple sectors has only emphasized the need to equip and empower women financially and economically. It is better for a nation for women to be economically empowered, whether it is through their own enterprises, in their workplaces or in their households. While women’s contributions to the economy are already significant in spite of the many challenges they face, what more if they are given the opportunity to reach their full potential?

To build more resilience, women need financial assistance and support. They also need strong networks for knowledge sharing and access to capacity-building. Above all, policies need to be created with a “gender lens” with women in mind, acknowledging the gendered differences they face.

While women’s leadership already exists informally, it is time for them to be represented and acknowledged in decision-making processes. When women lead, they reinvest their time in sectors that benefit the community and the nation, such as health and nutrition, education and care.

Women and girls should not be viewed as afterthoughts during crisis; rather, they should be considered as driving forces in creating more inclusive and resilient policies.

Women continue to be outwardly resilient even when conflicts, policies and geopolitical events impact them severely. Is that good enough? Why should we be satisfied with this outward resilience?

It is time that this resilience is made permanent with lasting economic and financial policies designed by men and women for women. INQ

The author is a member of MAP Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee and MAP Education Committee. She is founding chair and president of Philippine Women’s Economic Network and chair of the governing council of Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment. She was the first female chair of the Bases Conversion & Development Authority. She is president of Mageo Consulting Inc., a company providing corporate finance advisory services. Feedback at map@map.org.ph and magg@mageo.net.