Gender inclusion in climate change policy: a scoping literature review

Studies on the climate change crisis suggest that gender plays a vital role in achieving the climate change targets successfully and simultaneously can reduce gender inequality. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive analysis of how gender could be included in climate change policy. Thus, the aim of this paper is to discuss the importance of gender in climate change policy through a review, via the following issues: impacts of climate change, the problem perception, and assumption of responsibility. The scoping review helps analyze gender inclusion in climate change policy through an assessment of this inclusion in policy documents, leadership and decision-making in Northern Europe. Thus, the review with the empirical analysis could provide comprehensive insights on how to ensure an inclusive, effective, and transformative climate change policy. A review suggests that disparities in climate change impact, sensitivity to this problem, and assumptions of responsibility may lead to different insights and foresight about climate change solutions between genders. Thus, integrating a gender perspective into climate change policies is crucial for addressing inequalities and essential for enhancing the overall effectiveness of climate action. As discussions around climate adaptation and mitigation evolve, a robust examination of gender roles is fundamental to achieving sustainable and resilient environmental policies. Nevertheless, inclusion of gender aspects into climate change policy is not straightforward and needs considerations of gender at all layers of inclusion: society, NGOs, decision making, leadership and documents. Although the previously mentioned spheres of inclusion require different approaches for women's inclusion, they overlap or are interdependent. Nevertheless, a scoping review of 31 papers reveals that gender inclusion in climate change policy via documents and decision-making were analysed the most, potentially due to the data and tools available for assessment. Keywords: climate change; gender; decision-making; climate justice; gender inequality; social justice.