Assessing gendered climate-livelihood risks in Central India: Evidence for targeted adaptation strategies

Abstract

This study investigates gendered livelihood risks from climate change in Central India, a socio-ecologically vulnerable region of the Global South where cultural and structural barriers constrain women’s adaptive responses. Previous studies have linked gender norms, poverty, and educational gaps to gender inequality, but localised gender-sensitive analyses that translate these insights into actionable policy remain scarce. Therefore, this study aims to assess gendered climate-livelihood risks in Central India, integrating the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report (IPCC-AR6) framework with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR). It situates the findings within the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF). Primary data is collected from 528 households using a semi-structured questionnaire across selected villages from all tehsils of Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh. The findings revealed that women face a higher risk due to their high sensitivity (0.3545) and low adaptive capacity (0.3043). On the other hand, men face comparatively high hazards (0.3697) and exposures (0.470), but they benefit from a strong adaptive capacity (0.3971). Furthermore, MLR identified major determinants, including extreme climate events, access to land, physical infrastructure, food ration, health, livelihood diversification, borrowing, and social networks, that influence the risk index (R2 = 0.638 for males and 0.709 for females). The study highlights the need for gender-centric adaptation strategies, including targeted communication and interventions that improve women’s access to benefits, and community-based disaster preparedness that considers men’s increased exposure to hazards, and initiatives to protect assets and diversify livelihoods to reduce dependence on climate-sensitive activities. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2026.