What specific climate-related challenges, such as extreme weather events, water scarcity, and food insecurity, disproportionately affect women living in rural areas in developing countries?

1. Key finding

Overall
Climate change leads to increased food insecurity and exacerbates existing gender inequalities. This study highlights the need for gender-sensitive adaptation strategies to address food insecurity and empower women in the face of increasing climate risks.

Women and girls related
Climate change disproportionately impacts vulnerable groups in Bangladesh, particularly women.

2. Short summary
This systematic review examines how climate change impacts food security for vulnerable women in Bangladesh. The study focuses on three regions with distinct vulnerabilities: coastal, Haor, and Char. Coastal regions are susceptible to cyclones, storm surges, and sea-level rise, causing flooding and damage to agriculture. Haor regions face flash floods and riverbank erosion, while Char areas suffer from erosion, floods, and droughts. Women, often marginalized and lacking resources, are more susceptible to the  impacts of these climate events. Climate change disrupts food production and distribution, leading to food insecurity. Women, primarily responsible for food gathering and fuel fetching, are particularly vulnerable. This vulnerability can lead to forced family migration, with women often bearing the brunt of relocation due to limited opportunities. The study underscores the need for more research on the impact of climate change on vulnerable groups, especially women. It calls for gender-sensitive adaptation strategies to ensure food security for these marginalized communities

3. Long summary

3.1 PICOS 

Population: 

Women in Bangladesh, specifically those who are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change on food security

Intervention:

Gendered impact of climate change (This is the phenomenon of interest. There is not a singular, particular intervention that is discussed by the author)

Outcome:

Effect of climate change on food security and vulnerability of women

Study design: 

peer-reviewed research papers published in English between 2007-2023. Excluded from the study were vulnerable men.

3.2 Risk of bias- Not assessed

3.3 Publication bias- Not assessed

3.4 Findings
The author concludes that climate change poses a significant threat to food security in Bangladesh, particularly for vulnerable groups like women, due to the country’s low-lying geography and exposure to frequent floods, droughts, and cyclones that disrupt food production and distribution. These impacts are compounded for women, who often rely on climate-sensitive agriculture for both income and sustenance, while facing systemic barriers such as limited access to land, credit, and technology. Climate-related disruptions also strain their ability to access clean water, sanitation, and healthcare, while social norms place the burden of unpaid care work on them, restricting their time and participation in adaptation planning. Migration caused by climate-driven livelihood loss further increases women's risks by breaking social support networks. Despite these realities, the author notes a critical gap in research specific to women’s climate vulnerabilities in Bangladesh, as most studies overlook their unique experiences. To address this, the review recommends gender-sensitive strategies such as developing crop-specific adaptation plans, increasing empirical research on women's climate experiences, expanding emergency food storage, offering financial support for recovery and alternative livelihoods, and promoting gender equality by tackling harmful social norms. It also calls for integrating climate considerations into all policy levels, ensuring women’s inclusion in decision-making, boosting institutional capacity for gender-responsive adaptation, and raising awareness about the gendered impacts of climate change across communities and policymaking circles. 

3.5  Sensitivity analysis- Not assessed

4. AMSTAR 2 assessment of the review

5. Count of references to the following words

1. Key finding

Overall
Climate change disproportionately impacts women due to limited resources and decision-making power. There is an urgent need for equitable and context-specific adaptation strategies that address the diverse challenges faced by women in Africa and Asia

Women and girls related
Women are disproportionately affected by climate change, and patriarchal social structures restrict their access to the resources they need to adapt

2. Short summary

This review examines research on how gender impacts a country's ability to adapt to climate change. Analyzing 59 studies from 2010-2020, the authors found a strong focus on women's experiences. Women often face barriers to adaptation due to limited access to resources and decision-making power, often rooted in societal structures. Comparing research trends between Africa and Asia reveals differences. African studies frequently address agricultural challenges, while Asian studies tend to focus on social issues. This suggests that the specific impacts and adaptation strategies for women may vary across regions.

3. Long summary

3.1 PICOS 

Population: 

Women from African and Asian countries.

Intervention:

Interventions related to climate change adaptation, particularly concerning gender and adaptive capacity in developing countries.

Outcome:

To enhance adaptive capacity, reduce vulnerability, and promote more equitable and sustainable approaches to climate change adaptation in developing countries.

Study design:

Peer-reviewed and grey full-text manuscripts published in English between 2010-2020. Excluded publications belonging to medicine, econometrics and engineering.

3.2 Risk of bias- Not assessed

3.3 Publication bias- Not assessed

3.4 Findings 

A review of 59 articles published between 2010 and 2020 reveals that climate change research frequently centers on the keyword “women,” highlighting their disproportionate vulnerability due to socio-economic struggles and gendered social structures. Key areas of concern include household responsibilities, healthcare, inequality, and violence, with agriculture emerging as a primary lens through which gender and adaptive capacity are examined. Concepts like power, social norms, asset control, and decision-making repeatedly surface as critical, though not always central, influences on women’s capacity to adapt. These power imbalances, entrenched in household, community, and institutional structures—particularly in patriarchal systems—restrict women’s access to resources and decision-making. Thematic analysis shows regional variations, with African studies focusing more on farming and Asian studies on social challenges. Despite growing discourse around women’s vulnerability and adaptation, many studies still prioritize household-level capacity over individual needs like health, income, and education. To meaningfully support women’s adaptive capacities, adaptation strategies must adopt a collective, context-specific approach that integrates the social, cultural, historical, and geographic dimensions shaping gendered climate vulnerability.

3.5  Sensitivity analysis- Not assessed

4.  AMSTAR 2 assessment of the review

 5.  Count of references to the following words