As heat waves sweep South Asia, they take a hidden toll on women
- South Asia has been suffering an unprecedented heat wave, with March 2022 the hottest on record in India.
- There is growing evidence that rising heat is disproportionately affecting women — one study in India found they were significantly more likely than men to die in a heat wave.
- Heat waves also increase women’s care burden: 60% of women home-based workers surveyed in low-income housing across Bangladesh, India and Nepal reported a rise in unpaid labor during heat waves and floods.
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The Asia-Pacific region is home to 65% of the world’s home-based workers. These are workers who cook from home, make clothes from home or do similar odd jobs. In South Asia, 24% of all female employment is home-based as opposed to 6% for men, according to HomeNet South Asia.
India alone is estimated to have around 42 million home-based workers, most of them women, but the real figures could be higher. Many of them juggle household chores and caring for children and older relatives and earning income. For them, heat waves have dealt a cruel double blow, affecting both their health and productivity.
As well as heat exhaustion and heat stroke, heat waves can also cause cramps, headaches, lethargy and weakness, severe dehydration and blood clots, according to the World Health Organization.
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Additional reporting by Maher Sattar.