The disproportionate impact of climate change on women in Northeast India

This summer I was talking to one of my friends from home who was pregnant with her second child. Our conversation turned to how her first pregnancy was different from the second, and one of the main differences for her was the change in weather and the heat wave.

“I live in a house with an asbestos roof, and we have never had an air cooler and it is not possible for us to install one because of the way our house is made. It’s already 40°C here. “I feel like I’m always having palpitations and I’m always irritated,” she said.

A study conducted in China shows a strong link between heat exposure and a range of health complications, including kidney disease, mental disorders and gestational hypertension. The impact is especially greater for pregnant and new mothers, who can experience lifelong health problems due to heat-related stress.

A study in Kenya in resource-limited settings found that pregnant and lactating mothers living in informal settlements or slums experience increased health risks due to heat exposure. Living in these conditions perpetuates a cycle of vulnerability for already at-risk populations, exacerbating the adverse health consequences of extreme heat for this population. This increased burden often manifests in serious consequences, such as premature birth, reduced birth weight, birth defects and, in some cases, stillbirth.

suggests that increasing heat waves are intensifying the anemia crisis among Indian women. Another study in Northeast India found that about 40 percent of women in the region had anemia (mild, moderate or severe). The high prevalence of anemia in women combined with heat waves only increases women’s vulnerability. Their social positioning often limits their access to adaptive resources, such as health care, sanitation, and proper shelter.

Furthermore, these gendered burdens intersect with structural inequalities such as caste discrimination, further exacerbating problems for women from marginalized backgrounds. Lower caste women, who are often confined to labor-intensive jobs or outdoor labor-intensive jobs, are exposed to extreme temperatures for long periods of time.

Addressing these disparities requires a multifaceted approach that addresses not only the immediate health impacts of heat, but also the broader social and economic factors that contribute to these vulnerabilities.