Hot Weather and Violence Against Women: A Global Scoping Review

Chiratidzo Hope Mulambo, Rishu Thakur and Supriya Mathew ()
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Chiratidzo Hope Mulambo: Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT 0810, Australia
Rishu Thakur: Remote Health Systems and Climate Change Centre, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs, NT 0870, Australia
Supriya Mathew: Remote Health Systems and Climate Change Centre, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs, NT 0870, Australia

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 7, 1-12

Abstract: Temperature increases due to climatic changes have been increasingly recognized as posing significant public health challenges, with wide-ranging socio-economic implications. This scoping review examines the relationship between high temperatures and violence against women (VAW) globally. Nine studies from both high-income and low- and middle-income countries were included in this review. The findings suggest an overall positive association between high temperatures and rates of VAW. Theoretical frameworks, including the temperature–aggression hypothesis and routine activity theory, offer insights into the mechanisms driving this relationship. Key risk factors such as socioeconomic status, urban heat island effects, rurality, patriarchal norms, and alcohol consumption were considered to be risk factors affecting rates of VAW. Despite growing evidence, research gaps persist, particularly in regions with high rates of VAW and in the form of qualitative studies that capture women’s lived experiences. The positive associations between temperature and VAW underscore the urgency of integrating gender-sensitive strategies into climate adaptation policies to mitigate the compounding risks of climate change and gender-based violence.

Keywords: climate change; heatwaves; high temperatures; gender-based violence; intimate partner violence; public health; socio-environmental stressors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:7:p:1069-:d:1694274

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