Understanding the Complex Linkages Between Climate Change and Gender-Based Violence Globally

Many determinants of gender-based violence (GBV) are sensitive to climate change. In this theoretical article, we offer a conceptual framework for analyzing how climate change can shape the incidence of GBV through five mechanisms: human physiology and psychology, economic insecurity and job loss, scarcity of natural resources, changes in migration patterns, and disruption of infrastructure and essential services. We argue that significant empirical gaps in the literature stem from over-reliance on household surveys using narrow measures of domestic violence in a non-representative set of contexts, and provide methodological recommendations for achieving a more expansive understanding of climate effects on GBV.