Volume 17, Issue 3 (7-2025)                   jorar 2025, 17(3): 203-210 | Back to browse issues page


XML Print


Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:

Karimi F, Mousavi A S. The Critical Role of Women in Social Resilience and Development in Disaster Management: A Comprehensive Review with a Focus on Iran. jorar 2025; 17 (3) :203-210
URL: http://jorar.ir/article-1-1037-en.html
PhD in Communication & Culture, Researcher, Iranian Red Crescent Society, Tehran, Iran
Abstract:   (223 Views)
INTRODUCTION: Women represent half of the world's population and play a crucial, yet often unrecognized in disaster risk reduction, sustainable development, and social resilience. Their involvement in caregiving, informal leadership, and crisis response, especially in a disaster-prone country like Iran, has a significant impact on community recovery and long-term development. However, socio-cultural barriers often limit their formal participation in disaster management processes.
METHOD: This narrative review employed a descriptive-analytical approach supported by a systematic literature search. A total of 20 key articles were selected from both Persian and English academic databases, including Magiran, Noormags, Civilica, ISC, SID, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Inclusion criteria focused on peer-reviewed literature published between 2010 and 2024 that addressed women’s roles in disaster management and sustainable development within Iran or comparable contexts.
FINDINGS: The analysis reveals that women in Iran play essential roles in environmental sustainability, psychological recovery, and community rebuilding in the aftermath of disasters. Despite their critical informal contributions, structural challenges—such as limited access to education, healthcare, leadership positions, and disaster preparedness resources—continue to hinder their involvement in formal Disaster Risk Management (DRM). The findings highlight the effectiveness of grassroots efforts led by women and the need for institutional support to enhance their impact.
CONCLUSION: According to the results, there is an urgent need for gender-sensitive disaster response policies that recognize and empower women as active agents of change. Involving women in disaster planning and response through targeted education, community participation, and legal reforms will not only reduce vulnerabilities but also advance sustainable development and societal resilience in Iran.
Full-Text [PDF 432 kb]   (39 Downloads)    
Article Type: Review | Subject: Resilience

References
1. Statistical Center of Iran. [Population and Housing Census 2016 (Persian)]. Tehran [Internet] [cited 2016]. Available from: https://amar.org.ir/population-and-housing-census
2. Alam K, Rahman MH. Women in natural disasters: a case study from southern coastal region of Bangladesh. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 2014; 8:68-82. [DOI:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2014.01.003]
3. Neumayer E, Plümper T. The gendered nature of natural disasters: The impact of catastrophic events on the gender gap in life expectancy, 1981–2002. Ann Assoc Am Geogr. 2007;97(3):551-66. [DOI:10.1111/j.1467-8306.2007. 00563.x]
4. Kelman I, Mercer J, Gaillard JC. Indigenous knowledge and disaster risk reduction. Journal of Geography. 2012;97(1):12-21. [DOI:10.1080/00167487.2012.12094332]
5. Daniyali T. [The role of education in women's organizations to achieve sustainable development with an emphasis on women's cooperatives (Persian)]. [Internet] [cited November 16, 2019]. Available from: https://iccnews.ir/?p=32364
6. Talebi M. [Water crisis in Iran and its security consequences (Persian)]. Journal of Hydraulic Structures. 2023;8(4):17-28.
7. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 Geneva: UNDRR [Internet] [cited 2015]. Available from: https://www.undrr.org/publication/sendai-framework-disaster-risk-reduction-2015-2030
8. Sedghi M, Mofazelli SH, Ahmadi Tavana B, Mahallati H. [Women’s participation in disaster risk reduction: capacities and challenges (Persian)]. Journal of Rescue and Relief. 2025;17(2):85-95. [DOI:10.61186/jorar.17.2.85]
9. Valibeigi M, Taghipour AA, Ahmadi Dehrashid P, Asvadi K. [Disaster risk management and resilience assessment of small communities in Iran (Persian)]. Chinese Journal of Urban and Environmental Studies. 2024;12(02):2450011. [DOI:10.1142/S2345748124500118]
10. Zeydalinejad N, Mahdavikia H, Goudarzi A, Saeidi S. [The present challenges and policy for sustainable management of groundwater resources in Iran: putting emphasis on Lorestan province as an example in the country (Persian)]. Sustainable Water Resources Management. 2023;9(3):95. [DOI:10.1007/s40899-023-00883-6]
11. Aliabadi V, Ataei P, Gholamrezai S. [Farmers’ strategies for drought adaptation based on the indigenous knowledge system: the case of Iran (Persian)]. Weather, Climate, and Society. 2022;14(2):561-8. [DOI:10.1175/WCAS-D-21-0153.1]
12. Savari M, Naghibsyrsnvand F, Asadi Z. [Explaining the environmental attitude of rural women in Zagros forests of Lorestan province (Persian)]. Journal of Rural Research. 2022;13(1):162-81.
13. United Nations. Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023. New York: UN [Internet] 2023. Available from: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2023/
14. Yousefi Lebni J, Khorrami F, Ebadifard Azar F, Khosravi B, Safari H, Ziapour A. Experiences of rural women with damages resulting from an earthquake in Iran: a qualitative study. BMC public health. 2020;20(1):625. [DOI:10.1186/s12889-020-08752-z]
15. Izadkhah YO, Hosseini M. Women's dual roles in Kermanshah earthquake: challenges and contributions. In Proceedings of the 12th Canadian Conf. on Earthquake Engineering, 12CCEE. 2019;15: 2023
16. Alipour F, Khankeh H, Fekrazad H, Kamali M, Rafiei H, Ahmadi S. Social issues and post-disaster recovery: A qualitative study in an Iranian context. International Social Work. 2015;58(5):689-703. [DOI:10.1177/0020872815584426]
17. Akbarzadeh S, Barlow R, Nasirpour S. Registered NGOs and advocacy for women in Iran. Third World Quarterly. 2021 Jul 6;42(7):1475-88. [DOI:10.1080/01436597.2021.1896964]
18. Sohrabizadeh S. The neglect of women's capacities in disaster management systems in Iran: a qualitative study. Indian Journal of Gender Studies. 2016;23(3):467-80. [DOI:10.1177/0971521516656080]
19. Sohrabizadeh S, Jahangiri K, Khani Jazani R. Religiosity, gender, and natural disasters: a qualitative study of disaster-stricken regions in Iran. Journal of Religion And Health. 2018;57(3):807-20. [DOI:10.1007/s10943-017-0398-9]
20. Ahmadi Marzaleh M, Peyravi M, Moradi HA, Raeyat Mohtashami A. Women's reproductive health in disasters: A systematic review. Health Management & Information Science. 2023;10(2):54-61.
21. Mahmoudi MA, Farrokhi M, Hosseini SM, Najafi M, Motlagh ME, Khankeh HR. Challenges of community participation in health emergency and disaster risk management in an Iranian context: a qualitative study. Frontiers in Public Health. 2025; 13:1460421. [DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1460421]
22. Daddoust L, Khankeh H, Ebadi A, Sahaf R, Nakhaei M, Asgary A. The vulnerability of the Iranian elderly in disasters: Qualitative content analysis. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research. 2018;23(5):402-8. [DOI:10.4103/ijnmr.IJNMR_127_17]
23. Ardalan A, Mowafi H, Ardakani HM, Abolhasanai F, Zanganeh AM, Seifizadeh H, Salari S, Zonoobi V. Effectiveness of a primary health care program on urban and rural community disaster preparedness, Islamic Republic of Iran: a community intervention trial. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. 2013;7(5):481-90. [DOI:10.1017/dmp.2013.93]
24. Amini Hosseini K, Ostvar Izadkhah Y. Developing gender‐sensitive post‐disaster needs assessment national guideline based on the impacts of 2019 Iran floods. Journal of International Development. 2024;36(2):1241-53. [DOI:10.1002/jid.3852]
25. Khaliji MA, Ghalehteimouri KJ. Empowering urban spaces: a functional evaluation of women's participation through participatory planning-a case study of Tehran's 20th district. Journal of Research and Innovation for Sustainability (JRIS). 2024;1(1):36-54.
26. Enarson E, Fothergill A, Peek L. Gender and disaster: Foundations and new directions for research and practice. Handbook of disaster research. 2017:205-23. [DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-63254-4_11]
27. 27. Sohrabizadeh S, Bahramzadeh A, Hanafi-Bojd AA. Climate change and gender: mapping drought and gender gap in literacy and employment sections in Iran between 2011 and 2016. Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran. 2022; 36:146. [DOI:10.47176/mjiri.36.146]
28. FÉron É. From Women to Gender and Intersectionality: Rethinking Approaches to Economic Vulnerability and Resilience. In Learning from Resilience Strategies in Tanzania: An Outlook of International Development Challenges. Peter Lang. 2021: 287-307.
29. Fanni Z, Aghamiri HS, Azadi H. Women: A turning point of urban resilience in the post-COVID-19 era (Case study, Tehran, Iran). Sustainable Earth Trends. 2024;4(3).
30. Bouzarjomehri K, Khatami SS. The Role of Collaborative Projects in Rural Women's Empowerment and Conservation of Environment: Case Study of Hossein Abad Plain in Sarbishe. Journal of Sustainable Rural Development. 2020;4(2):177-84. [DOI:10.32598/JSRD.4.2.6]
31. Goli I, Omidi Najaf Abadi M, Lashgarara F, Tanaskovik V, Chukaliev O, Viira AH, Pour M, Sklenička P, Janečková K, Azadi H. Women and climate change adaptation behavior: What's the problem and solution. Climate and Development. 2023;15(6):535-52. [DOI:10.1080/17565529.2022.2121597]
32. Sohrabizadeh S, Tourani, PhD S, Khankeh HR. Women and health consequences of natural disasters: challenge or opportunity. Journal of Women & Health. 2016;56(8):977-93. [DOI:10.1080/03630242.2016.1176101]
33. Rajabi E, Farrokhi M, Tehrani FR, Noroozi M, Khankeh H. Investigating the Post-Disaster Reproductive Health Challenges of Iranian Women: A Systematic Review. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. 2025;19: e17. [DOI:10.1017/dmp.2024.92]
34. Mirmohamad Ali M, Jazani RK, Sohrabizadeh S, Nasrabadi AN. Barriers to breastfeeding in disasters in the context of Iran. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine. 2019;34(1):20-4. [DOI:10.1017/S1049023X18001243]
35. Shakiba S, Ghaderzadeh O, Moghadam VM. Women in Iranian Kurdistan: patriarchy and the quest for empowerment. Journal of Gender & Society. 2021;35(4):616-42. [DOI:10.1177/08912432211029205]
36. Zaidi RZ, Fordham M. The missing half of the Sendai framework: gender and women in the implementation of global disaster risk reduction policy. Journal of Progress in Disaster Science. 2021; 10:100170. [DOI:10.1016/j.pdisas.2021.100170]

Add your comments about this article : Your username or Email:
CAPTCHA

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

© 2025 CC BY-NC 4.0 | http://www.journalsystem.ir/demo5

Designed & Developed by : Yektaweb