Sex and Gender Influences on the Impacts of Disasters: A Rapid Review of Evidence

Carol Muñoz-Nieves (), Lorraine Greaves, Ella Huber, Andreea C. Brabete, Lindsay Wolfson and Nancy Poole
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Carol Muñoz-Nieves: Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada
Lorraine Greaves: Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada
Ella Huber: Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada
Andreea C. Brabete: Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada
Lindsay Wolfson: Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada
Nancy Poole: Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 9, 1-22

Abstract: Both sex-related factors and gender-related factors affect the immediate and long term mental and physical health impacts of disasters, including those resulting from public health emergencies, climate-related events, and naturally occurring phenomena. These include sex-specific biological, physiological and genetic processes, mechanisms underlying reproduction, disease outcomes, and stress, immune, and trauma responses. Gendered factors such as roles, relations, identity, and institutional policies that have an impact on caregiving, occupation, gender-based violence, and access to healthcare, also influence the impacts of disasters and emergencies. Sex/gender factors interact with a range of social determinants to affect the equitability of impacts. A rapid review was conducted to examine evidence from Australia, Canada, countries from the European Union, New Zealand, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States of America (USA) on the influence of sex- and gender-related factors in the context of disasters, such as COVID-19, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires. This article describes and categorizes this evidence with attention to real-world impacts of the interactions between sex, gender, and other equity related factors. Broad considerations for improving research and practices to support more sex and gender research in this area and ultimately, to improve emergency and disaster management, are discussed.

Keywords: sex; gender; emergency management; disaster response; public health; climate events (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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