Pakistan’s 2025 monsoon floods have once again triggered a severe humanitarian crisis, with women and girls disproportionately affected by the disaster. According to reports, reproductive healthcare has become one of the most critical casualties of flooding.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) highlighted that during the 2022 floods, 650,000 pregnant women were impacted, all requiring maternal care. With the 2025 floods following a similar pattern, tens of thousands of expectant mothers are again cut off from clinics, midwives, and essential health services.
Health experts warn that such disasters sharply increase maternal and infant mortality risks. In 2022, the UNFPA reported that Pakistan’s baseline maternal mortality rate stood at 186 deaths per 100,000 live births nationally, with Sindh at 224 and Balochistan at 298.
Many pregnant women were forced to travel for hours by boat to deliver babies safely, underscoring the dire state of infrastructure and healthcare access—a warning that remains urgent in 2025 as monsoon rains overwhelm already fragile systems.
Displacement has further heightened the risks for women and girls. Crowded relief camps and makeshift shelters often lack privacy and security, leaving women vulnerable to exploitation and violence. In previous crises, there were no separate food distribution points or segregated toilets, rendering the camps unsafe and undignified—a situation that largely persists today.
Food insecurity compounds these challenges. Women, often responsible for managing household food and livestock, face immense burdens as crops and livestock are destroyed. After the 2022 floods, UN assessments highlighted that 500,000 people were on the brink of catastrophic food insecurity, with many resorting to desperate measures just to show children that food was available. With limited international funding received, millions remain at risk as hidden hunger resurfaces in 2025.
Experts emphasize that these gendered impacts are not coincidental but stem from systemic policy failures. Women are frequently excluded from disaster governance and decision-making processes, despite being among the most climate-vulnerable groups. Pakistan ranks among the lowest globally in gender parity according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2025.
Limited mobility in rural areas, cultural restrictions, and the inability to swim leave women and girls particularly vulnerable during floods. Studies indicate that women are 14 times more likely to die than men in natural disasters, a disparity starkly visible in Pakistan’s monsoon crises.
To mitigate these impacts, Pakistan must implement gender-responsive disaster policies. Budgets should prioritize maternal healthcare, mobile clinics, and emergency medicines. Food distribution systems must include safe, dedicated queues for women and nutritious rations for pregnant and lactating mothers.
Women should be actively involved in local and national disaster planning and leadership roles to ensure policies reflect realities on the ground. Gender-based violence protections must be integrated into relief camps, including secure sanitation, female security personnel, and confidential survivor services. Direct access to aid, such as cash transfers or Watan cards, is critical to reducing vulnerability and exploitation.
The 2025 floods demonstrate how climate change exacerbates existing inequalities. While women display extraordinary resilience, they should not bear the brunt of each catastrophe. Empowering women in disaster response, as highlighted by the UNDP, strengthens national resilience and improves recovery outcomes.
Urgent domestic policy reforms and adherence to international climate finance commitments are essential. The monsoon may be uncontrollable, but priorities and preparedness are not. Without decisive action, the same women will continue to suffer—not just from the floodwaters but from neglect.
Written by a freelance contributor. Originally published in The News.
