Gender has a powerful influence on people’s experience of, and resilience to, climate change. Global climate change policy is committed to tackling gender inequalities in mitigation and adaptation. However, progress is hindered by numerous challenges, including an enduring set of gender assumptions: women are caring and connected to the environment, women are a homogenous and vulnerable group, gender equality is a women’s issue and gender equality is a numbers game. We provide an overview of how these assumptions essentialize women’s and men’s characteristics, narrowly diagnose the causes of gender inequality, and thereby propel strategies that have unintended and even counterproductive consequences. We offer four suggestions for a more informed pursuit of gender equality in climate change policy and practice.

性别对人们对气候变化的经历和抵御能力具有强大的影响。全球气候变化政策致力于解决缓解和适应方面的性别不平等问题。但是，许多挑战阻碍了进步，其中包括持久的性别假设：妇女在乎并与环境联系在一起，妇女是同质和脆弱的群体，性别平等是妇女的问题，性别平等是数字游戏。我们概述了这些假设如何使男人和女人的特征变得重要，狭窄地诊断了性别不平等的原因，从而推动了具有意想不到的甚至适得其反后果的战略。我们提供了四个建议，以便在气候变化政策和实践中更明智地追求性别平等。