Climate Change, Gender Roles and Hierarchies: Socioeconomic Transformation in an Ethnic Minority Community in Viet Nam

This book explores how climate, regulatory, and socioeconomic changes have impacted gender roles, relationships, and hierarchies in a Central Viet Nam ethnic minority community. It reveals how women have gained social status but at the expense of increased burdens, while men's traditional roles and livelihoods have been lost. The book offers insights into the complex interactions between climate, regulation, and socioeconomic changes and draws international comparisons with other communities facing similar challenges.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 158 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive study delves into the intricate dynamics of evolving gender roles, relationships, and hierarchies within a diverse ethnic minority community in Central Viet Nam. Having weathered decades of conflict, the community has managed to maintain its self-sufficient way of life in this remote forested mountainous region. However, in recent years, it has been compelled to confront a formidable combination of severe climate threats and rapid and destabilizing socioeconomic and regulatory transformations.

To unravel the complex interplay between climate, regulatory, and socioeconomic changes, the book employs a combination of qualitative (interview-based) and quantitative research methods. Through these methods, the book provides valuable insights into the intricate connections between these factors, including the paradoxical emergence of significant problems for both the community and the environment in the wake of policies aimed at protecting the natural environment.

As food and livelihood insecurity surged within the community, women and men were pushed into the mainstream market economy, albeit without being fully equipped to engage in an economy that was relatively new to them. These abrupt transitions resulted in profound shifts in gender roles and hierarchies, creating new opportunities for women to enhance their social status within a highly patriarchal context. However, these changes came at a cost, as women's burdens increased, while men's traditional roles and livelihoods were eroded.

The book explores recent trends, including unforeseen developments and potential policy-related approaches, and makes international comparisons with other ethnic minority, indigenous, and remote communities grappling with similar complex forces of change. By examining these trends, the book offers valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by these communities as they navigate the rapidly evolving landscape.

This book is of immense interest to scholars and postgraduate students specializing in climate change, gender, environment, and public policy and development studies. It provides a rich and nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics at play in these communities, shedding light on the ways in which climate change, regulatory reforms, and socioeconomic transformations intersect to shape gender roles, relationships, and hierarchies.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367616151