A few words on climate change, mental health and gender

Bengal shoulders a complex gender history. According to various written documentation, the precolonial era recognised a diversity of genders and non-binary identities. However, colonial-era policies adopted a more conservative approach to gender, influenced heavily by conservative Christian doctrine. Instead, the favour was given to a more rigid gender binary system that not only marginalized women and non-binary individuals but affected their livelihood, human rights and overall well-being. Laws such as Section 377 penalised intersex, transgender (hijra), and gay (kothi) communities, leading to widespread social ostracism, suppression of rights, and even the discontinuation of their documentation (Khan, 2021).

Since its independence, Bangladesh has made notable progress in promoting gender equity and community recognition in terms of economic and educational reform. The country now holds top positions in the South Asia region for various gender indices (WEF, 2021). Nevertheless, traditional gender roles remain deeply rooted in the patriarchal social fabric. Women and girls continue to be disproportionately affected by poverty and climate-related challenges such as land erosion or salinity intrusion. These factors perpetuate child marriages in rural areas, expose young girls to an increased risk of malnutrition, domestic violence, and early pregnancies, all of which contributes significantly to mental health issues.

According to a recent study, adult women in Bangladesh show a higher suicide rate than men (WHO, 2021). Another study revealed women are almost twice as likely to die from mental illnesses such as depression (1.13%) compared to men (0.6%) (BBS, 2021a). This, in turn, creates a cascading effect on the family as a whole. The extended family may be shunned by the community because of their association to a family member with a mental illness (WHO, 2021).

A national survey conducted between 2018–2019 found that 92.3% of persons with diagnosable mental health disorders in Bangladesh were not receiving treatment (WHO, 2021). The rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide remain exceedingly high (Naveed et al. 2020). The ongoing climate crisis places greater burden on these struggles, contributing to further PTSD, stress, sleep disorders related to natural disasters and, in some cases, “ecological grief” in recurring climate hardships (Hayward and Ayeb-Karlsson 2021).

Unfortunately, public health institutions in Bangladesh receive limited funding to cater for the population equitably and mental health services are not a sector that is covered. Instead, the mental health facilities in the country are private bodies and require out-of-pocket expenditure from their patients. This, together with the already mentioned social stigma around mental health diagnosis, reveals a healthcare sector that does not encourage seeking professional care.