Intersectional vulnerabilities and women’s everyday resilience in landslide-affected areas: a qualitative insight from Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

In Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan, due to climate change, mountain regions are becoming increasingly vulnerable to landslides, which primarily affect poorer areas. Even though it is known that women are at increased risk from natural disasters, there is not much research on how different aspects of feminine identity relate to women facing dangers and recovering. It seeks to investigate how gender influences the risk of landslides and the strategies that local women employ daily to manage these risks. Using a qualitative method, the researchers collected information from 22 in-depth interviews, 3 focus groups, 5 key informants, and observations in the district of Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. The data were analyzed thematically by following Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework, and the NVivo-14 software was used for assistance. The research resulted in five themes: different things that put women at risk, being exposed to environmental factors regularly, not being given equal opportunities for help from official sources, having community-based strategies, and discovering their agency and building their knowledge systems. In formal disaster governance, women are often disregarded, but they still bounce back through their help for each other, flexible work, and religious-cultural support. According to the study, making disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies responsive to gender and adapted to local areas is needed urgently. We should first value what women know and feel from their experience, make sure they join in planning recovery, and offer mental and social help.