Shivangi Shankar and Girika Sharma made a presentation titled “How Heat Affects HerHealth: Exploring the Impact of Increasing Temperatures on Women’s Health,” at the DAAD-sponsored International Conference entitled “Climate Change: A Socio-geological Perspective,” organised by The School of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, with their presentation delivered virtually. The conference was held on October 11 and 12, 2023.
The study found that heat action plans ignored the complexities of gender-related vulnerability to heat impact. Some key plans and guidelines barely mentioned gender-related vulnerability, much less suggested ways to address them. Where present, there was a disproportionate focus on maternal health, ignoring other aspects of health and illness that arise in a woman’s life course. The paper thus proposed possible approaches for addressing heat impact on women’s health across the life course. This study emphasised the need to fill lacunae in literature regarding women’s susceptibility to heat. It also highlighted the importance of creating gender-informed policies to reduce the adverse impacts of heat on women’s health. In an increasingly warmer and unequal world, it was imperative that heat action plans and strategies were responsive to and inclusive of vulnerable populations.