Extreme Weather Expands Women's Autonomy Where Households are Labor-Constrained: Evidence on the Impact of Droughts in Bangladesh

Can climate-change induced extreme weather alter women’s autonomy in patriarchal societies? We theorize that where households are constrained in male labor, the income shortfalls caused by droughts push women into paid work outside families, reducing women’s subordination in families. Using data on over 78,000 households in Bangladesh, a country at the leading edge of climate change, we find that exposure to droughts increases women’s average involvement in paid work. These effects are concentrated in urban areas, where women’s work outside the household rises by 37% and support for domestic violence drops by 34%. The opposite effects appear in rural areas, where women’s work decreases and support for domestic violence rises. Consistent with the theorized mechanism—labor constraints—the average urban household size remains unchanged following a drought, while rural households expand to additional male visitors. These findings illuminate the circumstances under which gendered power may be disrupted by weather shocks.