Introduction

The position of women facing environmental challenges and climate change in Senegal is complex and multifaceted, although there have been many notable advances in women’s rights in recent years, notably the adoption of the law on parity in 2010. Senegalese women remain the most vulnerable, but also the first victims of the disastrous effects of relentless climate change, as they are more dependent on natural resources such as water and soil for their livelihoods.

Main sectors of activity

The key sectors predominantly occupied by women in Senegal are as follows:

Agriculture: Women are very present in the agricultural sector, whether in food production, livestock breeding or fishing.

Informal trade: Women are often involved in small-scale informal trade, particularly the sale of food products in markets.

Services: Women are also present in the service sector, particularly in the hotel, catering, tourism and health professions.

Handicrafts: Many women work in handicrafts, whether in pottery, basketry, sewing, dyeing, embroidery, etc.

Micro-businesses: More and more women are becoming entrepreneurs and setting up their own micro-businesses, particularly in the food, fashion and beauty sectors.

Challenges

Women are often excluded from decision-making on policies and programs relating to the environment and the environmental challenges facing women in Senegal climate change. Their knowledge and expertise on environmental issues are not valued or adequately taken into account, limiting their ability to participate actively in decisions that affect their lives and communities. Women in Senegal face a number of environmental challenges, including :

• Access to drinking water: Women are often responsible for collecting water for their families. However, in many parts of Senegal, access to drinking water is limited, forcing women to travel long distances to find water.
• Food security: Rural women are often responsible for agriculture and food production. However, climate change, such as droughts and floods, as well as land degradation, affect their ability to grow crops and ensure food security for their families.
• Deforestation: Women are often responsible for collecting firewood for their homes. Deforestation due to the growing demand for firewood endangers forest resources and affects biodiversity. This forces women to travel ever greater distances to find firewood.
• Waste management: Women are often responsible for waste management in their communities. However, waste management infrastructures are often inadequate, leading to an accumulation of waste in residential areas, which can have adverse effects on the health of women and their families.
• Access to clean energy: Women are often dependent on solid fuels, such as wood or charcoal, for cooking and lighting. This has negative impacts on their health, due to exposure to toxic smoke, and on the environment, due to deforestation. Access to clean, sustainable energy sources is therefore a major challenge for women in Senegal.

These environmental challenges facing women can have a direct impact on their health, livelihoods and security. It is therefore essential to take their specific concerns into account in environmental policies and initiatives to promote sustainable development and gender equality in Senegal.

The consequences

It is important to note that despite their active participation in these sectors, women in Senegal often face gender disparities in terms of access to resources, economic opportunities and land rights. As a result, women bear the brunt of the economic and social consequences of this ever-growing threat. The gradual disappearance of natural resources is reducing incomes and fostering food insecurity within households, particularly for women who, as we know, are often the heads of households in Senegal.

As the dominant users of land and natural resources, they are the hardest hit by the effects of climate change, such as drought, flooding and desertification. They are also confronted with environmental pressures such as environmental degradation, deforestation, desertification and pollution.

Conclusion

The efforts made so far in Senegal to encourage greater involvement and commitment by women in urgent environmental and climate issues, and also in policies to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on their lives, are weak and insufficient compared with the immensity and heaviness of the task.