ARI Working Paper Series

The ways in which humanitarian aid organisations respond to natural disasters contribute significantly to how communities negotiate and endure the loss of family, homes, and livelihoods in disaster-affected areas. When the chaos of a natural disaster occurs, gender is often ignored in the planning and development of relief strategies and projects. The lack of understanding of gender in disaster contexts can contribute to the perpetuation and reinforcement of gender-based inequalities in the implementation of disaster relief and rehabilitation programmes. The differing vulnerabilities, needs, and capacity of affected-communities shape people’s ability to cope and survive in disaster contexts. By responding to disasters with a gendered approach, the disparities in power relations and resource acquisition that occur within the household and society will be accentuated. This paper examines the ways in which humanitarian aid organisations responded to the tsunami that hit the coasts of South and Southeast Asian countries on 26 December 2004, with regard to women and livelihood recovery.