How do climate change adaptation plans consider gender? : An analysis of National Adaptation Plans in Sub- Saharan Africa

Abstract: Climate change is today an urgent threat, posing grave danger and requiring immediate attention. In order to adapt to the changes, policies, plans, and programmes have been created all over the world, such as the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). Several authors and organisations have advocated for the importance of integrating a gender perspective into such climate change documents (Skinner, 2011; Bee, Biermann, and Tschakert, 2013; Lau et al., 2021). Nevertheless, at the time of writing, research is missing on NAPs in regard to gender. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to fill this gap through an analysis of the NAPs with a focus on gender. The sample is 12 countries, all from Sub-Saharan Africa because of the area’s high relevance regarding climate change. The objective of the thesis is to analyse the content of the selected NAPs regarding the integration of gender considerations. Using the theoretical framework of Gender and Development (GAD), the thesis aims to offer a comprehensive understanding of how the chosen NAPs address gender-related concerns. The methodology is a qualitative abductive desk study through qualitative content analysis. The findings suggest that gender considerations are not very well integrated into the NAPs and that women are primarily framed as vulnerable and very rarely as having key capacities or being agents of change. Additionally, from the perspective of GAD, several shortcomings are identified.