Disaster Perceptions, Experiences and Responses to Covid-19: A Gender Analysis

Abstract

This article explores how different individuals perceive,
experience, and manage disasters such as the Covid-19
pandemic. The study adopted a qualitative approach and indepth interviews were used for data collection. The findings
portray a gender divide across public and private spaces in
Bangladesh during the first wave of the pandemic. Fear of
the virus was higher among urban educated women, which
triggered them to follow public health guidelines strictly. In
contrast, guided by traditional gender norms, men mostly
showed a reluctant attitude towards the disease as well as
government directives issued for managing the pandemic. They
came forward to handle outside tasks that allowed women to
stay safe. Men felt more constrained than women to stay home
as they were socialised to be more mobile. Both men and
women participated in community care during the pandemic.
However, men tended to serve the broader community, whereas
women mainly supported family members and close ones.
The study finally coveys that the concerns about Coronavirus,
the lockdown experience, and the efforts to mitigate disaster
risks and impacts varied depending on people’s gender,
age, socioeconomic status, religious beliefs, and Covid-19
management restrictions in rural and urban areas.