Gender approach in local disaster risk management in Costa Rica from an intersectional perspective

Abstract

The city governments of Costa Rica have a significant role in the National Risk Management System (SNGR in Spanish) to face the multiple threats and risks that affect the country from their territories. The different frameworks and policies that work with the Disaster Risk Management approach, among which are international (e. g., Sendai Frame-work for Action), regional (e. g., Central American Policy for Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management), and national instruments (e. g., National Risk Management Policy), promote risk analysis as a process that contributes to their reduction and mitigation, which, together with specific policies focused on gender (e. g., Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women [CEDAW]), highlight the gender approach as a principle or axis, making the need to carry out reviews and actions differentiated by gender visible. The growth of inequalities in events such as disasters emphasizes the fact that there are gender differences in the perception of risks, the levels of vulnerability that exist and the capacities to cope. This article collects the research carried out that answers the question: “What are the psychosocial elements that influence the implementation of mainstreaming the gender approach in DRM processes in municipal offices?” from Community Social Psychology and Feminist Social Psychology. A study with a qualitative approach and phenomenological design was carried out, in which interviews were applied to institutional representatives in DRM and gender. The first seeks to promote processes of social transformation, considering the psychosocial processes that permeate community dynamics, which, in turn, are influenced by specific contexts. As for Feminist Psychology, it promotes the identification of inequalities and the creation of options for change. The relationship between feminist political perspectives and psychological practices and sexual and gender differences were considered as causes of inequalities, generating certain psychosocial analyzes not widely developed so far. A subjective perspective to the lived experience of the people participating in the research was considered in order to emphasize the meanings and knowledge as a process, based on interviews with institutional representatives of municipal offices and national institutions both focused on DRM or gender. Twelve psychosocial elements that influence the mainstreaming of the gender approach in municipal DRM were identified: the need for training and awareness, the requirement of political will, the naturalization of gender roles and stereotypes, the recognition of gender differences, resistance to mainstreaming gender, subjectivity, the presence or absence of inter and intra-insti-tutional articulations, the social participation of women, the recognition of gender violence, the recognition of vulnerable populations, the cultural context and social inequalities. Moreover, gender inequalities are recognized as an element that affects and emphasizes the vulnerabilities of specific populations, such as women of different ages, transgender people, people with disabilities, among others. The research allowed an approach to ten different territorial contexts where DRM is put into practice from an office or as a process, and how the experience of the people who lead them understands the gender approach, contrasting with the institutional perspective applied at the national level. It is concluded that these should be made visible and can be worked on to address the risks of two historically discriminated populations: women and LGTBIQ+ population. Considering gender inequalities as an underlying cause of risk is a priority for Disaster Risk Management.