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Vulnerable Victims or Agents of Change? A qualitative content analysis on the representation of women in Nepal's National Adaptation Plan

Pettersson, Alma LU (2023) STVK12 20231
Department of Political Science
Abstract
Climate adaptation policies in Nepal have previously depicted women as vulnerable victims. Policy-makers have described women as a weak and voiceless group that needs “saving” in environmental politics. Several studies have emphasized that these simplistic representations perpetuate gender stereotypes and omit proactive roles in climate action. Recent developments in feminist academia recognize the increasing need of conceptualizing women as positive agents of change. This has led to renewed interest in how women are represented in contemporary adaptation policy. This thesis applies a feminist constructivist lens to explore the dominant frames of women in climate change represented in Nepal's updated National Adaptation Plan. Through... (More)
Climate adaptation policies in Nepal have previously depicted women as vulnerable victims. Policy-makers have described women as a weak and voiceless group that needs “saving” in environmental politics. Several studies have emphasized that these simplistic representations perpetuate gender stereotypes and omit proactive roles in climate action. Recent developments in feminist academia recognize the increasing need of conceptualizing women as positive agents of change. This has led to renewed interest in how women are represented in contemporary adaptation policy. This thesis applies a feminist constructivist lens to explore the dominant frames of women in climate change represented in Nepal's updated National Adaptation Plan. Through qualitative content analysis, the study analyzes the National Adaptation Plan and its accompanying documents and uncovers five dominant frames. Findings reveal that women have separately been described as agents, vulnerable, caregivers, knowledgeable, and left behind. The results indicate that women's representation in Nepal's adaptation policy is more multifaceted than previously assumed by scholars. The study advances our understanding of how the dominant frames increase individual agency and simultaneously amplify gender-based expectations regarding passivity, victimhood, and nurture. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Pettersson, Alma LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK12 20231
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
women, representation, climate adaptation policy, Nepal, feminist constructivism
language
English
id
9116307
date added to LUP
2023-08-24 15:51:55
date last changed
2023-08-24 15:51:55
@misc{9116307,
  abstract     = {{Climate adaptation policies in Nepal have previously depicted women as vulnerable victims. Policy-makers have described women as a weak and voiceless group that needs “saving” in environmental politics. Several studies have emphasized that these simplistic representations perpetuate gender stereotypes and omit proactive roles in climate action. Recent developments in feminist academia recognize the increasing need of conceptualizing women as positive agents of change. This has led to renewed interest in how women are represented in contemporary adaptation policy. This thesis applies a feminist constructivist lens to explore the dominant frames of women in climate change represented in Nepal's updated National Adaptation Plan. Through qualitative content analysis, the study analyzes the National Adaptation Plan and its accompanying documents and uncovers five dominant frames. Findings reveal that women have separately been described as agents, vulnerable, caregivers, knowledgeable, and left behind. The results indicate that women's representation in Nepal's adaptation policy is more multifaceted than previously assumed by scholars. The study advances our understanding of how the dominant frames increase individual agency and simultaneously amplify gender-based expectations regarding passivity, victimhood, and nurture.}},
  author       = {{Pettersson, Alma}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Vulnerable Victims or Agents of Change? A qualitative content analysis on the representation of women in Nepal's National Adaptation Plan}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}