Climate change-induced dry shocks in Bangladesh increase women’s tolerance of intimate partner violence in poor, agriculture‑dependent communities.
This study investigates the impact of climate change on intimate partner violence in Bangladesh and shows that policy can mitigate much if not all of the harmful consequences of climate shocks on women. Utilizing a novel dataset linking geo-referenced meteorological data with information on women’s agency from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys, we find that dry shocks increase tolerance for intimate partner violence among women in poor and agriculture-dependent communities, amplifying existing social and environmental vulnerabilities. Climate resilience projects funded by the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust (BCCT), a domestic climate fund, mitigate the negative impacts of dry shocks, highlighting the important role of such initiatives in generating positive spillover effects that ameliorate the negative social impacts of changing climate. We show that these projects enhance resilience in agriculture by reducing the effects of droughts on acreage and yield in rainfed areas. Our findings underline the crucial role of targeted policies in fostering climate adaptation and wellbeing.
Event Speakers
Professor Nidhiya Menon
Nidhiya Menon is a development economist. She has worked on topics that include labour and occupational choice, gender-differentiated impacts of policies, land rights, conflict, gender-specific technology use, environmental influences on child and adult health, social, cultural and religious norms, and most recently, the effects of climate change on human capital in the developing world.