Gender Equality at COP31: Climate Crisis Threatens Women’s Incomes, Safety and Rights

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous says women are already leading climate efforts in communities, laboratories and government, and calls for equal rights, resources and leadership.

More than one in three women and girls worldwide, at least 1.5 billion people, live in climate hotspots where climate hazards meet insecure work and deep gender inequality. A UN Women fact sheet finds that 73 per cent of countries recognize the specific climate risks women and girls face, but only slightly more than one in three address those risks comprehensively. The findings show how climate change can deepen existing inequalities, especially for people in countries that have contributed least to the crisis.

The world is on track for at least 1.8°C of warming, bringing more severe droughts, floods, wildfires and cyclones, with lasting damage to communities and ecosystems. Women and girls in the countries least responsible for climate change face some of its harshest effects, including food shortages and greater exposure to violence. UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous says women are already leading climate efforts in communities, laboratories and government, and calls for equal rights, resources and leadership.

The fact sheet describes threats to women's income, safety, time and opportunities, along with signs that well-funded climate action could improve their prospects. Under a worst-case scenario, as many as 141 million additional women and girls could fall into extreme poverty. The report calls for women's rights and gender equality to shape climate decisions, funding and the transition to greener economies.

Climate shocks deepen poverty and unpaid work

Across data from 24 countries, a 1°C rise in average temperatures is associated with women losing 34 per cent more of their total income than men, likely reflecting fewer options to move into non-farm work or migrate after harvest failures. Climate-related water shortages and disasters can add to unpaid care, including collecting water and fuel and caring for family members. Women are the primary water collectors in two-thirds of households among the 1.8 billion people without water at home, and under a high-emissions scenario, time spent collecting water could rise by as much as 30 per cent by 2050.

Livelihood losses, displacement and scarce resources can magnify existing drivers of gender-based violence, with prolonged extreme drought associated with a 21 per cent higher risk of sexual violence against adolescent girls and young women across 14 countries. Progress in reducing child marriage has nearly doubled in pace over the past decade, though climate change threatens to reverse those gains. In 24 of the 46 countries with comparable data, child marriage rates were higher in more arid environments than in more humid ones.

Women need access to energy, finance and decision-making

Growing energy demand from technologies such as artificial intelligence sits alongside the reality that 326 million women and girls still lack access to electricity. Women hold just 12 per cent of energy portfolios globally, and women environmental defenders face harassment and even death for protecting their communities and the planet. Developing countries receive less than one-third of the climate finance they need, and only 4 per cent of climate-focused official development assistance prioritizes gender equality.

Governments have started recognizing gender-specific climate risks in their national climate plans, with 73 per cent of nationally determined contributions now acknowledging them. Slightly more than one in three plans addresses the risks comprehensively, leaving a substantial gap between recognition and action. At COP31, UN Women is urging leaders to protect the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, safeguard women environmental defenders and give women and girls meaningful influence over climate decisions.

Put gender equality at the heart of climate action

UN Women calls for climate finance that reaches women and their organizations, a just transition that redistributes care, and stronger action against violence that can rise as climate pressures grow. The organization is urging governments to fully implement and finance the Belém Gender Action Plan so that commitments lead to practical improvements for women and girls on the front line of climate crises. It calls for economies that put people and the planet before profits and build resilience alongside gender equality.

The fact sheet points to green employment as one opportunity for progress, with women able to secure up to 66 per cent of net new green jobs if the right investments are made. That could mean 68 million additional jobs for women by 2035, expanding their incomes and role in the changing economy. Achieving that potential depends on giving women access to resources, decent work and a real voice in shaping climate policy.