By Abbas Nazil
Cambodia’s first-ever Gender and Environment Survey has revealed alarming findings on how climate change and environmental hazards affect women and men differently, with women bearing a greater burden in health, food security, and livelihoods.
The nationwide survey, conducted in 2024 by the National Institute of Statistics with support from UN Women’s Women Count programme, showed that nearly 90 percent of Cambodians live in areas of high environmental risk, and 99 percent experienced at least one disaster in the past year.
While both men and women face equal exposure, the impacts are not the same.
Rural women and those displaced by disasters reported higher barriers to accessing healthcare and hygiene products.
Women were also more likely than men to lose crops, suffer livestock deaths, and take on additional unpaid childcare during climate-related disruptions.
The report also highlighted severe effects on mental and physical health.
About 77 percent of Cambodians reported worsening mental health due to slow-onset climate hazards, with women experiencing higher stress and anxiety levels.
Nearly half of women and men reported deteriorating physical health, while many households, especially single parents and partnered women, reduced their food intake to feed others.
Agriculture, a backbone of Cambodia’s economy, is under increasing pressure.
Climate change has led to declining yields, forcing farmers to adopt coping strategies such as seed selection, but also harmful practices like excessive pesticide and fertilizer use, which cause long-term soil degradation.
The survey further revealed that forests and wild lands are rapidly degrading, threatening biodiversity and livelihoods.
Women, who rely more on forest products for income, are particularly vulnerable.
Despite this, participation in environmental decision-making remains extremely low, with less than 7 percent of resource-dependent people involved in governance bodies.
According to UN Women, the findings highlight the urgent need to integrate gender perspectives into climate and environmental policy.
