Adapting to change: climate displacement, gendered (women) challenges, and pathways to empowerment in Iraq

Climate change poses substantial challenges for climate-displaced women in developing countries, where limited education and social norms can hinder access to labour markets, social integration and political engagement. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a training programme on displaced women’s willingness to engage with and participate in the labour market, social networks and political activities within local communities. Using rich pre-and post-training survey data from 36 women displaced by climate shocks from southwestern Mosul, our findings show that women’s willingness to work or start a business increases significantly after the training, as does their willingness to engage with elected officials to address displacement-related challenges. However, we do not find evidence of improved willingness to integrate with host communities, reflecting women’s perceptions of limited support in their host communities and highlighting the challenges of climate displacement. Our findings highlight the need for local and national governments to expand educational and vocational programmes for climate-displaced women while also investing in host communities to reduce social tensions and promote inclusive recovery.