Determinants of economic vulnerability among female-headed households in central Kerala
Keywords:
Extreme weather events, Economic vulnerability, Index, Kerala floods, Women, Male-headed households, Female-headed householdsAbstract
Women constitute a disproportionate share of the poor and hence are likely to be extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change. This study aims to analyse the economic vulnerability of women to extreme weather events and its determinants. It was carried out in the agricultural households of Mala and Vellangallur blocks of Thrissur district in Kerala, which were heavily flooded during the Kerala floods of 2018. Economic Vulnerability Index (EVI) of male and female-headed households were estimated by modifying the ASPIRES Economic Vulnerability Tool. It was found that female-headed households had a greater economic vulnerability compared to male-headed households. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to study the determinants of economic vulnerability. The results suggested that while natural disasters and dependency ratio positively influenced the economic vulnerability, high school education, assistance from local government, family size and agricultural diversification index were found to negatively influence the vulnerability.References
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