Rebuild?
Here’s a structured summary of Chapter 15: "Who Will Rebuild?" from Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez:
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🧭 1. Core Concepts
A. Disaster Response Magnifies the Gender Data Gap
In post-crisis rebuilding (wars, natural disasters, pandemics), women are systematically left out of decision-making and planning.
The result: homes are rebuilt without kitchens, refugee camps lack cooking facilities, and essential services like childcare and transport are ignored.
B. Male-Dominated Planning Ignores Women's Needs
Rebuilding plans often focus on economic development (skyscrapers, commerce) rather than community-level essentials (nursery schools, safety, informal networks).
Example: the “We Will Rebuild” project in Miami after Hurricane Andrew had 56 men and only 11 women on its board.
C. Social Networks and Informal Infrastructure Are Overlooked
Public housing, like New Orleans’ Bricks, offered more than shelter—social cohesion and mobility—which was ignored in plans to demolish them post-Katrina.
D. Post-Conflict Planning Ignores Women’s Voices
Even when women are the most affected, they are excluded from peace-building and reconstruction.
UN Security Council Resolution 1325 urges gender inclusion, but it’s largely symbolic—only 2 women have served as chief peace negotiators.
E. Exclusion Weakens Peace and Development
Women’s presence improves peace outcomes:
20% more likely peace will last 2 years.
35% more likely it will last 15 years.
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📊 2. Examples & Stats
Event/Context Issue Gender Gap Evidence
Gujarat Earthquake (2001) Homes rebuilt without kitchens because women weren’t consulted “That’s women’s work” was assumed and ignored in planning
Sri Lanka Tsunami (2004) Same issue repeated—no women consulted in reconstruction Kitchens not built again; refugee camps ignored cooking needs
Hurricane Andrew (1992) “We Will Rebuild” had 56 men, 11 women in decision-making board Prioritized skyscrapers, not nurseries or women’s needs
Hurricane Katrina (2005) African-American women were most displaced, but least consulted Led to what IWPR called a “third disaster”—preventable failure due to gender data gap
New Orleans Public Housing Planners wanted mixed-income housing; residents (mostly poor Black women) wanted to return to Bricks Only 706 of 4,534 public units replaced; Bricks seen as community, not just housing
UNSC Resolution 1325 (2000) Urged women’s inclusion in peace talks By 2018: 2 female chief negotiators ever, only 6% of negotiators were women in Afghanistan peace talks
UN Peace Accord Study 182 peace agreements analyzed Women’s inclusion increases:
20% more chance of peace lasting 2 years
35% more chance for 15+ years |
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💬 3. Impactful Quotes
1. “We need to focus on saving lives (as we will see this is also based on false premise). But the truth is, these excuses won’t wash. The real reason we exclude women is because we see the rights of 50% of the population as a minority interest.”
2. “Women frequently bring important issues to the peace-building agenda that male elites tend to overlook… closing the gender data gap really is better for everyone.”
3. “When the local government says ‘We don’t want women,’ the international community complies and says ‘OK.’”
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✅ 4. Suggestions & Actionable Insights
🔹 Incorporate Women in Planning
Always consult women during rebuilding, resettlement, and post-disaster processes.
Recognize informal social infrastructure (e.g., community kitchens, mobility networks, safety concerns).
🔹 Legislate Gender Inclusion
Treat exclusion from decision-making as a violation of rights, not a technical oversight.
Enforce gender quotas on boards and decision-making panels in post-disaster or post-conflict contexts.
🔹 Use Gendered Data in Crisis Response
Track unpaid labor, mobility patterns, and community ties that primarily affect women.
Build evidence-based systems around women's actual needs—don’t just retrofit male-dominated structures.
🔹 Invest in Gender-Sensitive Peacebuilding
Implement UNSCR 1325 with accountability—set funding and representation goals.
Involve women from the start of peace talks, not only after agreements.
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🔚 Concluding Message
> The question "Who will rebuild?" must include "Whose voices were silenced before the collapse?" and "Whose needs are ignored after the dust settles?"
Caroline Criado Perez shows us that unless women are actively included in rebuilding efforts—not just symbolically—disasters and wars don’t just destroy what existed, they help rebuild inequality stronger than before.
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