Pre- and post-disaster management through a gender lens: women leading Nepal’s recovery
- Aakriti Pant
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
When the aftershocks of the earthquake slowly faded in my home district, I watched the women around me, who had been caregivers for generations, become the builders of the nation.
They organized shelter rotations, coordinated materials, and arranged small loans to repair homes¹. What began as an instinctive caregiving role for our mothers evolved into practical leadership, and in that transition lies a gender-equal and resilient disaster management model for Nepal². The shift was not only personal but structural. With large-scale male migration abroad, many households in Nepal are already managed by women³,⁴. Disasters only make this reality more visible, as women are the ones left to make quick decisions for survival, safety, and rebuilding. Ignoring this reality in planning means missing out on a large group of active responders during a crisis.
The change from caregiving to leading reconstruction is backed by data. After the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, over 55% of displaced households were female-headed, and women accounted for more than 60% of those who lost their primary income sources⁵. Many also faced heightened risks to health, shelter, and protection. Yet the pressing paradox is this- women’s burden of loss remained high while their formal representation in government stayed low. Reconstruction efforts had very few women in leadership roles, despite female-headed households and women of reproductive age needing special support⁵,⁶.
District-level cases show how women turned constraints into capacities. In Sindhupalchowk, women’s groups organized local shelter management and psychosocial outreach while official channels were slow to deliver⁷. Reports documented spikes in protection risks, including gender-based violence, but local women-led networks provided immediate referral paths and safety planning that mitigated harm⁶. In Gorkha and Dolakha, masonry and livelihood training programs deliberately designed for women produced paid work and durable skills¹. These programs demonstrate an important mechanism: when women are offered resources, training, and autonomy, they convert caregiving experience into technical and organizational leadership²,⁷.
The following are some of the major insights from the peer-reviewed literature on this topic:
Vulnerability and capability coexist: Direct exposure to disasters does not mean women cannot act effectively. They have shown strong leadership and problem-solving skills in environmental management².
Governance lags practice: Women lead much of the recovery work on the ground but remain underrepresented in decision-making bodies that control funds and priorities⁸. At both national and local levels, few women hold positions in the National Reconstruction Authority, District Disaster Management Committees, or local planning councils-key agencies that set reconstruction budgets and coordinate relief efforts. This lack of gender-balanced leadership weakens the inclusiveness of recovery programs, as women’s immediate needs- securing shelter, childcare, and livelihoods are often overlooked. The gap between women’s frontline contributions and their absence in formal decision-making continues to reinforce inequality in Nepal’s disaster governance.
Targeted programs work: Local training, cash-for-work schemes, and protection services delivered through women’s networks have proven effective⁶. After the 2015 earthquake, UN Women and the Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Welfare supported over 1,500 women in Sindhupalchowk and Dolakha through cash-for-work and skill training in masonry and disaster-resilient construction skills that led to sustained jobs in rebuilding. Women-led cooperatives from these programs also provided microloans and safety training to 3,000 households, showing how targeted support translates into economic recovery and stronger community resilience.
For Nepal’s policymakers and recovery planners, looking at disaster management through a gender lens is essential, not optional². It connects women’s real-life skills with decision-making power². If local and national recovery frameworks start treating women not just as beneficiaries but as partners, Nepal can build disaster systems that are both inclusive and resillient⁹,¹⁰. This approach will ensure resources reach households faster, reduce protection risks, and multiply the impact of every rupee invested in reconstruction. Hence, by investing in women’s leadership, Nepal can not only address inequality but also achieve faster, fairer, and stronger recovery for all communities¹.
About the Author:
Aakriti Pant is an undergraduate with honors from Kathmandu University School of Management, exploring how fintech, climate, and research intersect to shape resilient futures. She currently works at Xuno, a fintech company advancing cross-border payments. Aakriti also supports climate education and disaster readiness through accelerator programs and projects. She is passionate about integrating economics and postmodernist literature into her work.
References
DPNet Nepal (2023). Post-Earthquake Recovery in Nepal. https://www.dpnet.org.np
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (2018). Women’s Leadership in Disaster Recovery. https://giwps.georgetown.edu/
CBS & ILO (2019). Nepal Labor Statistics. https://ilostat.ilo.org/
World Bank (2018). Nepal Country Overview. https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/nepal
World Bank (2015). Nepal Earthquake 2015 Post-Disaster Needs Assessment. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/disasterriskmanagement
UN Women (2024). Nepal Recovery and Women’s Leadership Report. https://www.unwomen.org/en
Saathi (n.d.). Community Protection and Psychosocial Support in Nepal. https://www.saathi.org.np/
World Bank (2016). Gender and Disaster Governance in Nepal. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/disasterriskmanagement
UNDP (2017). Inclusive Disaster Recovery Frameworks in Nepal. https://www.undp.org/
Asian Development Bank (2020). Nepal Disaster Recovery Investment Report. https://www.adb.org/
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