Women and Post-Disaster Management in Japan: Voices from Tohoku

In the aftermath of a disaster, women’s suffering is often compounded in the face of increased vulnerabilities to physical and mental illness, unsafe temporary living conditions, and the many instances in which women’s opinions, requests, and capabilities are ignored. This thesis discusses gender inequality within post-disaster management in Japan, with a focus on the 2011 Triple Disaster which consisted of an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown within the Tohoku region. The framework of gender within public health and post-disaster management is used to examine women’s experiences in the response and recovery phases of the Triple Disaster as seen through film and academic literature. This paper argues that the role of women in the aftermath of the disaster reflected and reinforced gender inequality in Japanese society. The inadequate living conditions for women in emergency shelters, the silencing of women’s voices after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, and the distinct lack...Show moreIn the aftermath of a disaster, women’s suffering is often compounded in the face of increased vulnerabilities to physical and mental illness, unsafe temporary living conditions, and the many instances in which women’s opinions, requests, and capabilities are ignored. This thesis discusses gender inequality within post-disaster management in Japan, with a focus on the 2011 Triple Disaster which consisted of an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown within the Tohoku region. The framework of gender within public health and post-disaster management is used to examine women’s experiences in the response and recovery phases of the Triple Disaster as seen through film and academic literature. This paper argues that the role of women in the aftermath of the disaster reflected and reinforced gender inequality in Japanese society. The inadequate living conditions for women in emergency shelters, the silencing of women’s voices after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, and the distinct lack of female participation in disaster management all give credence to the notion that the gender dimension of disasters was and continues to be significantly overlooked. It is evident that the gender issues present in the aftermath of the 2011 disaster are part of larger societal structures not only in Japan but also in the wider field of public health.Show less

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Women and Post-Disaster Management in Japan: Voices from Tohoku