Governance, collaboration and community organising in rural Australia: A case study of women's experiences and contributions to community health and well-being in the Northern Rivers, Australia floods.

BACKGROUND

Whilst gendered violence and other gendered health impacts of disasters are well rehearsed in the literature, relatively less attention has been paid to women's important role in supporting the health and well-being of communities during the peak and aftermath of extreme weather-related events such as floods.

OBJECTIVES

This article explores the gendered dimensions of rural Australian community disaster responses and resilience building, highlighting women's experiences of and contributions to community health and well-being, disaster governance and leadership in the community setting.

DESIGN

The article presents a case study from the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, a rural area on the front line of the climate crisis having been subjected to compounding disasters in the last decade including catastrophic flooding.

METHODS

The qualitative study draws upon: semi-structured interviews with community members, government, not for profit and businesses; notes from public events; a research diary and transcripts from a New South Wales Government flood response inquiry.

RESULTS

The results of this study suggest that following the 2022 floods, women have made significant and enduring local contributions to the health, well-being and recovery of communities across the Northern Rivers region. Despite challenges in accessing power and decision-making, women played an essential role in community problem solving and circumnavigated challenges using collaborative local approaches. However, women often paid the cost of undertaking these roles through negative impacts on their own health and well-being.

CONCLUSION

This study reveals that after disasters, masculinised labour benefits from support and recognition while the prolonged work of women to support the health and well-being of their communities persists without these privileges. Further studies are needed on how women and their leadership strengths can be recognised and supported to enable ongoing health and well-being of disaster-affected communities, including the health and well-being of women organisers themselves.