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How gender norms shape opportunities for building resilience to climate change in low- and middle-income countries

  • Publication | 2026

This study examines how gender norms shape opportunities for women to build resilience within agrifood systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Amid rising pressures from climate change, population growth, and resource depletion, enhancing resilience among vulnerable populations is critical. In recognition of the gaps in understanding individual-level resilience, particu­larly related to power and agency, this article pre­sents data from a systematic literature review from 82 articles published between 2016 and 2022. The review analyzes how gender norms and intersec­tionality influence women’s resilience in LMICs’ agrifood systems and women's placement along absorptive, adaptive, transformative, and inability-to-cope “resilience pathways.” Findings reveal that gender norms limit women’s agency by restricting decision-making, asset control, voice in community processes, and access to profitable value chain activities. Intersec­tional factors such as age and disability can com­pound these constraints. Many women occupy absorptive pathways, meaning they deal reactively to shocks. However, women with greater agency have the potential to develop adaptive or trans­formative capacities, meaning that they exert a level of con­trol over change processes. Downward movement between pathways can be worsened by factors including interventions, that aim to inte­grate farm­ers into agricultural markets, which do not take gender norms and dynamics into account. Collec­tive action, social networks, gender-transfor­mative interventions, and gender-intentional land reforms enable women to climb to higher resilience pathways. This study emphasizes the importance of addressing gendered power dynamics and norms to foster inclusive resilience. IT recommends gender-transformative approaches that enhance women’s agency, incorporate intersectionality, and engage men as allies. The Economic Resilience Pathways framework offers a valuable tool for empirical research and intervention design to support women’s resilience in agrifood systems.

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