Gender-Sensitive Social Welfare Policies and Community Resilience
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37899/mjdpp.v3i2.361Keywords:
Adaptive Governance, Community Resilience, Gender-Sensitive Policy, Inclusive Welfare, Participatory GovernanceAbstract
This study examines the role of gender-sensitive social welfare policies in strengthening community resilience within vulnerable socio-economic contexts. The research aims to analyze how inclusive welfare governance contributes to adaptive social capacity, institutional trust, and collective resilience. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis involving government officials, welfare administrators, women’s organizations, community leaders, and welfare beneficiaries. The findings reveal that gender-sensitive welfare policies significantly improve community resilience by enhancing women’s participation, strengthening social solidarity, and increasing institutional responsiveness during periods of economic and social disruption. Women-centered welfare initiatives were found to support local coordination, mutual support systems, and participatory governance structures that facilitate collective adaptation. The study also identifies several structural challenges, including institutional fragmentation, patriarchal norms, and unequal digital access, which affect the sustainability of inclusive welfare governance. The study implies that sustainable resilience requires participatory and inclusive welfare institutions capable of addressing structural inequality and strengthening collaborative community adaptation.
References
Abdalla, S., Ramadan, E., & Al Mamari, W. (2024). Enhancing gender-responsive resilience: The critical role of women in disaster risk reduction in Oman. Progress in Disaster Science, 24, 100376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdisas.2024.100376
Adhikari, A., & Ghimire, S. (2025). Gendered dimensions of climate change impacts: challenges and adaptive strategies. Turkish Journal of Agriculture-Food Science and Technology, 13(5), 1354-1367. https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v13i5.1354-1367.7481
Akinwale, A. A. (2023). Gender equity and social progress: empowering women and girls to drive sustainable development in Sub–Saharan Africa. International Journal of Innovation Research and Advanced Studies.
Azad, M. A. K., Haque, C. E., & Mahmud, H. (2026). Social Inequality Effects of Climate‐Change‐Related Disasters: A Systematic Literature Review in the Context of Developing Countries. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 17(3), e70072.
Aziz, M., & Anjum, G. (2024). Transformative strategies for enhancing women’s resilience to climate change: A policy perspective for low-and middle-income countries. Women's Health, 20, 17455057241302032. https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057241302032
Balan, S., & Sreechandana, C. S. (2025). The Intersectionality of Gender, Climate Change and Resilience: A Critical Review. International Journal of Environment and Climate Change, 15(5), 404-414. https://doi.org/10.9734/ijecc/2025/v15i54861
Balan, S., & Sreechandana, C. S. (2025). The Intersectionality of Gender, Climate Change and Resilience: A Critical Review. International Journal of Environment and Climate Change, 15(5), 404-414. https://doi.org/10.9734/ijecc/2025/v15i54861
Balana, B., Adeyanju, D., Clingain, C., Andam, K. S., de Brauw, A., Yohanna, I., ... & Schneider, M. (2023). Anticipatory cash transfers for climate resilience: Findings from a randomized experiment in northeast Nigeria. Intl Food Policy Res Inst. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5163930
Belloso, M. L., & Strid, S. (2023). Navigating the pandemic: Gendered perspectives on vulnerability, resilience and institutional change in times of crisis. Papers. Revista de Sociologia, 108(3), e3243-e3243. https://doi.org/10.5565/REV/PAPERS.3243
Bermúdez Figueroa, E., Dabetić, V., Yuste, R. P., & Saeidzadeh, Z. (2023). Gender and structural inequalities from a socio-legal perspective. In Gender-competent legal education (pp. 95-142). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14360-1_4
Buba, R. (2025). Gender Equity in Environmental Governance: Women’s Contributions to Environmental Sustainability Policies in Africa. University of Nigeria Journal of Political Economy, 15(1).
Camacho, C., Bower, P., Webb, R. T., & Munford, L. (2023). Measurement of community resilience using the Baseline Resilience Indicator for Communities (BRIC) framework: A systematic review. International journal of disaster risk reduction, 95, 103870. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103870
Cavaye, J., & Ross, H. (2022). Community resilience and community development: What mutual opportunities arise from interactions between the two concepts?. Community development for times of crisis, 75-96. https://doi.org/10.1080/15575330.2019.1572634
Chakrovorty, A. (2026). Gendered Dimensions of Environmental Security: Insights into the Role of Women in Risk, Resilience, and Governance. Environment and Security, 27538796261436947. https://doi.org/10.1177/27538796261436947
Chatterjee, B., Caffarelli, L., & Ranawana, A. (2022). Grandmother, breadwinner, caregiver, widow, entrepreneur: COVID-19, older women, and challenges for the implementation of the women’s economic empowerment agenda. Gender & Development, 30(1-2), 247-264. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552074.2022.2071983
Chowdhury, R. I., Hossain, M. A., & Farid, Z. I. (2026). Gender-responsive climate resilience through community-based adaptation: A policy-practice interface study in southern Bangladesh. Progress in Disaster Science, 100568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdisas.2026.100568
Corsi, M., & Ilkkaracan, I. (2023). COVID-19, gender, and labor. In Handbook of labor, human resources and population economics (pp. 1-17). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Dasgupta, A. (2024). Gendered vulnerabilities in climate shocks: the role of social protection interventions. Environmental Research: Climate, 3(4), 045023. https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5295/ad8d03
Djafar, F., Akibu, R. S., & Namdech, P. (2025). Strengthening local government organisation capacity for adaptive development policy responsive to community needs. Journal of Contemporary Governance and Public Policy, 6(2), 135-156. https://doi.org/10.46507/jcgpp.v6i2.715
Ernst, E., Merola, R., & Reljic, J. (2025). Fiscal policy instruments for inclusive labor markets: A review. Journal of Economic Surveys, 39(5), 2020-2041. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12685
Esariti, L., Kharisma, D. A., & Harris, C. (2026). Gender-Responsive Adaptation for Climate and Disaster Risk Mitigation: Recommendations for Effective Implementation from Case Studies. In Climate Change, Labour and Migration in Indonesia: Impacts on Women and Children (pp. 49-66). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-15334-0_4
Gavrilovic, M., Rubio, M., Bastagli, F., Hinton, R., Staab, S., Goulder, R. G., ... & Tabbush, C. (2022). Gender-responsive social protection post–COVID-19. Science, 375(6585), 1111-1113. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abm5922
Gumucio, T., Hansen, J., Carr, E. R., Huyer, S., Chiputwa, B., Simelton, E., ... & Schwager, S. (2022). Enhancing climate services design and implementation through gender-responsive evaluation. Frontiers in Climate, 4, 908602. https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2022.908602
Hashim, R. C., Jayasingam, S., Mustamil, N. M., Bakar, R. A., & Omar, S. (2025). Women’s economic empowerment and wellbeing. Springer Books. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-7372-8
Hokoza, W. (2026). Empowering Women in African Food Systems: A Pathway to Enhanced Food Security and Community Well-Being. In Agriculture and Sustainable Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Resilience and Recovery Toward Sustainable Futures (pp. 291-307). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Islam, M. A., Shetu, M. M., & Hakim, S. S. (2022). Possibilities of a gender-responsive infrastructure for livelihood-vulnerable women's resilience in rural-coastal Bangladesh. Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 12(3), 447-466. https://doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-12-2020-0190
Islam, M. A., Shetu, M. M., & Hakim, S. S. (2022). Possibilities of a gender-responsive infrastructure for livelihood-vulnerable women's resilience in rural-coastal Bangladesh. Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 12(3), 447-466. https://doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-12-2020-0190
Järvelä, M. (2023). Dimensions of cultural sustainability—Local adaptation, adaptive capacity and social resilience. Frontiers in Political Science, 5, 1285602. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2023.1285602
Karambiri, M., Ville, A. H., Wong, G. Y., Jimenez-Aceituno, A., Downing, A., & Brockhaus, M. (2024, January). What is the Problem of Gender Inequality Represented to be in Inter-National Development Policy in Burkina Faso?. In Forum for Development Studies (Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 71-100). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/08039410.2024.2303004
Khofi, L., Moyer, E., Bezuidenhout, A., & Manderson, L. (2025). Strengthening Community Ties in South Africa: Tackling Food Insecurity and Structural Challenges through Community-Led Initiatives. Wellbeing, Space and Society, 100315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wss.2025.100315
Knight, J. (2024). The direct and indirect economic consequences of climate damage in poor countries. Environment and Development Economics, 29(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355770X23000104
Lalani, N., Osei, E. A., Yang, S., Katare, B., & Wagle, S. (2025). Financial health and well-being of rural female caregivers of older adults with chronic illnesses. BMC geriatrics, 25(1), 239. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-025-05853-5
Lim, W. M. (2025). What is qualitative research? An overview and guidelines. Australasian marketing journal, 33(2), 199-229. https://doi.org/10.1177/14413582241264619
Matata, M. J., Ngigi, M. W., & Bett, H. K. (2023). Effects of cash transfers on household resilience to climate shocks in the arid and semi arid counties of northern Kenya. Development Studies Research, 10(1), 2164031. https://doi.org/10.1080/21665095.2022.2164031
Mumtaz, Z., & Kühner, S. (2025). Towards a theorization of the global community welfare regime: Depicting four ideal types of the community’s role in welfare provision. Journal of European Social Policy, 35(2), 189-209. https://doi.org/10.1177/09589287241311157
Neuhuber, T. (2025). One and the same or worlds apart? Linking transformative regional resilience and just transitions through welfare state policies. Sustainability, 17(2), 637. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020637
Rexhaj, S., Nguyen, A., Favrod, J., Coloni-Terrapon, C., Buisson, L., Drainville, A. L., & Martinez, D. (2023). Women involvement in the informal caregiving field: A perspective review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1113587. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1113587
Rubery, J., Sánchez-Mira, N., & Insarauto, V. (Eds.). (2026). Women in turbulent times: Crises, transitions and challenges for gender equality. Taylor & Francis.
Rusydiana, A. S., Prakoso, M. F. D., Aslan, H., & Riani, R. (2025). Unveiling the effects of zakat toward socioeconomic empowerment in OIC countries. International Journal of Ethics and Systems. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijoes-10-2024-0331
Shemshad, M., Synowiec, A., Kopyra, M., & Benedek, Z. (2025). The community-driven ecosystem resilience and equity framework: A novel approach for social resilience in ecosystem services. Sustainability, 17(8), 3452. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083452
Shoaib, M., Iqbal, S., Rasool, S., & Abdullah, F. (2025). A Sociological Perspective on Gender Disparities in Higher Education in Pakistan. International Journal of Social Sciences Bulletin, 3(10), 560-572.
Smith, G. S., Anjum, E., Francis, C., Deanes, L., & Acey, C. (2022). Climate change, environmental disasters, and health inequities: the underlying role of structural inequalities. Current environmental health reports, 9(1), 80-89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-022-00336-w
Suhaeb, F. W., Tamrin, S., Jumadi, J., & Irwan, I. (2024). Community adaptation strategies to climate change: towards sustainable social development. Migration Letters, 21(S2), 943-953.
Tamasiga, P., Mogomotsi, P. K., Onyeaka, H., & Mogomotsi, G. E. (2024). Amplifying climate resilience: The impact of social protection, social cohesion, and social capital on public support for climate change action. Sustainable Environment, 10(1), 2361568. https://doi.org/10.1080/27658511.2024.2361568
Waterhouse, P., Bennett, R., Guntupalli, A., & Mokomane, Z. (2022). Combining Economic Work and Motherhood: Challenges Faced by Women in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges Faced by Women in Sub-Saharan Africa. In The Palgrave handbook of global social problems (pp. 1-19). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68127-2
Zulfiqar, G. M., & Shafique, A. (2022). Inequality rising: the gendered impacts of precarious labor and financialization. In Handbook on Risk and Inequality (pp. 179-193). Edward Elgar Publishing
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Moccasin Journal De Public Perspective
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This journal provides direct open access to it's content on the principle that research is freely available to the public supporting a greater global exchange of knowledge. All articles published by Open Access will soon and forever be free for everyone to read and download. The license options defined for this journal are Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
