CANS 406 Lecture 13: 13. Gender and Humanitarian Crisis
22 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Gender and Humanitarian Crisis
-Field where categories and labels are very present in the practice
-The term refugee has a very distinct meaning – legal definition is very narrow, specific to
people with a well-founded fear of persecution who cross borders
-Doesn’t recognize gender or economic hardship or just violence as a reason for fleeing
-Some states recognize people as refugees if they’re being subjected to persecution related to
gender
-Internally displaced persons – people much like refugees but haven’t crossed an international
border
-Globally, there are more people displaced (whether internally or externally) than at any point
since WWII
-65.6 million people, majority of which are IDPs
-22.5 million refugees
-Gender and age affects where refugees are able to go
-Much larger proportions of male asylum seekers travelling to Europe, women usually in global
south
-Opportunity of fleeing across the Mediterranean is dangerous and expensive, families
can’t afford to send everyone, so they send a male figure head to lay down roots with the
hopes of bringing the family over later
-Gendered ideas of men as bread winner and protector
-The gender analysis has become a key part of refugee regime lexicon
-The traditional studies of the refugee regime treat the UNHCR as main actors – but we should
remember to keep refugees themselves at the center of our analysis
-86% of refugees remain in the Global South – most don’t actually live in camps
-Relationship between gender and forced migration – idea of refugee women has been a long-
standing issue, but now a shift to reevaluating how gender identities/roles/relations shift through
the stages of displacement
-All causes of displacement are in some way shaped by gender norms and roles
-Gendered responsibilities like childcare can affect a woman’s ability to flee or the decision she
makes
-Women refugees may have less opportunity to influence decision making about where and
when they go and if/when they return home
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