Most climate change literature tends to downplay the gendered nature of vulnerability. At best, gender is discussed in terms of the male-female binary, seen as opposing forces rather than in varying relations of interdependency. Such construction can result in the adoption of maladaptive culturally unfit gender-blind policy and interventions. In Egypt, which is highly vulnerable to climate change, gender analysis of vulnerability is almost non-existent. This paper addresses this important research gap by asking and drawing on a rural Egyptian context ‘How do the gendered relational aspects of men’s and women’s livelihoods in the household and community influence vulnerability to climate change?’. To answer this question, I draw on gender analysis of social relations, framed within an understanding of sustainable livelihoods. During 16 months of fieldwork, I used multiple ethnographic methods to collect data from two culturally and ethnically diverse low-income villages in Egypt. My main argument is that experiences of climate change are closely intertwined with gender and wider social relations in the household and community. These are shaped by local gendered ideologies and cultures that are embedded in conjugal relations, kinship and relationship to the environment, as compared across the two villages. In this paper, I strongly argue that vulnerability to climate change is highly gendered and therefore gender analysis should be at the heart of climate change discourses, policy and interventions.

大多数气候变化文献倾向于淡化脆弱性的性别特征。充其量，性别是按照男女对偶来讨论的，被视为对立的力量，而不是各种相互依存的关系。这样的建设可能导致采取适应不良的，文化上不合适的性别盲政策和干预措施。在高度易受气候变化影响的埃及，几乎不存在对脆弱性的性别分析。本文通过询问和借鉴埃及乡村背景来解决这一重要的研究空白：“家庭和社区中男女生计的性别关系如何影响气候变化的脆弱性？”。为了回答这个问题，我以对社会关系的性别分析为基础，以对可持续生计的理解为框架。在16个月的田野调查中，我使用多种人种志方法从埃及的两个文化和种族差异的低收入村庄收集了数据。我的主要论点是，气候变化的经验与性别以及家庭和社区中更广泛的社会关系紧密地交织在一起。与两个村庄相比，当地性别意识形态和文化深深地植根于夫妻关系，血缘关系和与环境的关系中。在本文中，我强烈认为，对气候变化的脆弱性具有高度的性别特征，因此，性别分析应成为气候变化话语，政策和干预措施的核心。我的主要论点是，气候变化的经验与性别以及家庭和社区中更广泛的社会关系紧密地交织在一起。与两个村庄相比，当地性别意识形态和文化深深地植根于夫妻关系，血缘关系和与环境的关系中。在本文中，我强烈认为，对气候变化的脆弱性是高度性别化的，因此性别分析应成为气候变化话语，政策和干预措施的核心。我的主要论点是，气候变化的经验与性别以及家庭和社区中更广泛的社会关系紧密地交织在一起。与两个村庄相比，当地性别意识形态和文化深深地植根于夫妻关系，血缘关系和与环境的关系中。在本文中，我强烈认为，对气候变化的脆弱性具有高度的性别特征，因此，性别分析应成为气候变化话语，政策和干预措施的核心。