Gender and climate change in the United States: a reading of existing research

The report found that Not only does climate change disproportionately harm women in terms of health effects and the impacts of extreme weather events, but it also exacerbates existing gender inequities. Based on a literature review, the report, "Gender and Climate Change in the United States: A Reading of Existing Research", found that while men had higher rates of heat-related illnesses — due to their overrepresentation in the agricultural and construction industries — women farmworkers were less knowledgeable than their male counterparts about the symptoms of heat-related illness.

Studies conducted after major wildfires in California also suggest that women's respiratory function tends to be more affected than that of men and that higher ambient temperatures and air pollution caused by greenhouse gas emissions are linked to higher rates of low birth weight, preterm birth, and stillbirth. In addition, studies following Hurricane Katrina found elevated levels of post-traumatic stress disorder among women, especially African-American women, as well as a substantial increase in gender-based violence against women. The study also found that women were more likely to be financially "fragile" than men, with lower rates of pre-disaster emergency savings; that, after Katrina, women-owned businesses were more likely to fail; and that women, even those engaged in front-line recovery and advocacy work to rebuild their lives, felt marginalized, as most key decisions were made by men. According to the report, employment in climate-affected sectors also is gendered, with men accounting for approximately 72 percent of all workers in the energy and fuel production industries (including wind and solar), while women remain underrepresented in both the media coverage of climate change and the environmental workforce.