Inequality and Climate Change Inégalité et changement climatique

Velan & Mohanty: Gender-wise Rural-to-Urban Migration in Orissa, India 153
28.33 per cent are farmers, 13.33 per cent agricultural labourers, and 10 per
cent businessmen. The remaining 6.67 per cent each are in service sector or still
unemployed. As for their female counterparts, only five per cent were engaged
as agricultural labourers, while the rest were housewives (73 %) and unemployed
(21.67 %) before. Not much had changed for them in three years of the interview.
Only 8.33 per cent are engaged in construction and related works, 6.67 per cent
in service sector and merely 3.33 per cent as agricultural labourers. The remaining
70 per cent are still housewives and 11.67 per cent unemployed. Thus, not much
change is visible in the occupational structure of the non-migrants by gender over
the three year period in their native village.
Table 3 shows the perceived degrees of adverse effects of climate changes
suffered by the sample households by gender and category during the June-
September 2008 and earlier floods. As Puri is located in a coastal area, all
households reported having suffered varying degrees of adverse effect of the
climate change depending on the proximity of their village to the coast. More
than 70 per cent of all sample households experienced very severe impact of the
adverse climatic changes, excepting non-migrant female households of whom
53.33 per cent had suffered. The impacts were less severe for less than 10 per cent
and relatively severe in all cases, wherein the percentage of non-migrant females
was comparatively more. Majority of them had lost their houses, livestock and
livelihood in the floods. The government had provided them with food and
drinking water, and alternate shelter until the problem receded.
Table 8.3: Perceived Degree of Climatic Change Effects
Sl. No. Degree of Adverse Effect Male Female
A. Migrant Household
1.
2.
3.
Less severe
Relatively severe
Very severe
9 (15.00)
9 (15.00)
42 (70.00)
5 (8.33)
8 (13.33)
47 (78.34)
Total 60 (100.00) 60 (100.00)
B. Non-Migrant Household
1.
2.
3.
Less severe
Relatively severe
Very severe
8 (13.33)
7 (11.67)
45 (75.00)
10 (16.67)
18 (30.00)
32 (53.33)
Total 60 (100.00) 60 (100.00)
Note: Brackets show column percentages.