Gender Differences in Perceptions of Environmental Changes in West Kalimantan, Indonesia: Existing and Shifting Social Roles

Gendered norms, knowledge, and between-gender relationships can impact climate change adaptation/mitigation at the individual and community level. Indonesia, particularly West Kalimantan, is significantly affected by climate change and is committed to combating it with attention to equality and equity. Focusing on a case-study site in West Kalimantan, we explored gendered perceptions of environmental changes and whether and how those are shaped by social roles and contextual factors. Through four focus groups and a survey, we found a variety of gender differences in perceptions of local issues but also generational changes in men in the expression of those differences. However, governance issues were found to unite both genders in the perception of impact on them as an agrarian community. We highlight the evolving nature of gender differences and unifying similarities in interactions with environmental changes, and stress the need to intentionally include men and women’s experiences in local planning and policy.