Bearing the Burden: Environmental Degradation and Mental Health Crisis for Displaced Women in South Asia

• In Event: Environmental Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 18: Climate Emotions & Psychological Responses

Abstract

This study investigates the critical dimension of environmental injustice: the severe and disproportionate livelihood and mental health consequences borne by women displaced by environmental degradation and decay in South Asia with the specific case of Bangladesh. In light of the acute environmental vulnerability and patriarchal social structures of South Asia, my paper posits using content analysis and survey data that climate-induced migration is a deeply gendered process that creates several mental health risks and livelihood crises for women specifically in rural areas, thereby exacerbating pre-existing inequalities. Utilizing data from the Bangladesh Environment and Migration Survey (BEMS 2019), we analyze pathways of environmental degradation, specifically riverbank erosion, cyclones, and salinity intrusion and their impact on women’s livelihood which in turn affects their psychological well-being.

Following Sociology of Health literature, we use the concept of compounding burdens based on intersectional identities like Caste, Gender, Religion and other diverse identities. Findings indicate that displaced women in Bangladesh experience a “double burden”: the trauma of the initial disaster and livelihood loss is compounded by the breakdown of social support networks, economic insecurity, heightened caregiving responsibilities in precarious settings, and social isolation. These complex detrimental processes lead to significantly elevated levels of anxiety, depression, and chronic stress which affect the overall well-being of women in Bangladesh. The government provides little or no support to these women thereby making the crisis more acute. Furthermore, the loss of family honor (izzat) associated with displacement and informal resettlement imposes an additional, gendered psychosocial burden. By focusing on the changing intra-household bargaining power and altered social roles, this research elucidates the structural mechanisms that link environmental degradation to gendered mental health outcomes. It concludes that the livelihood crisis and mental health crisis among environmentally displaced women is a direct issue of environmental inequality and the lack of environmental justice.

Author

• Satadru Bhattacharyya, University of Connecticut