Australian Journal of Emergency Management | AJEM

The capacity of Australia’s emergency services organisations could be doubled if traditional and persistent barriers to women and LGBTIQA+ people are removed. Capacity can be further increased if masculinity is recast away from heroism and machismo. Emergency response to events like major bushfires and floods demands ‘all hands on deck’ and now is the time for the sector to act.

We know emergency services organisations have harmed women and LGBTIQA+ people, and men who don’t ascribe to a dominant way of being. Men are part of ‘gender’ and Bob Pease (referring to Ainsworth et al. 2014) notes that when women demonstrate proficiency in a ‘man’s job’ they may ‘experience significant push-back from men. Similarly, in studies in New Zealand and Australia, LGBTIQA+ people were found to be marginalised and excluded through hypermasculinity.

This edition of the Australian Journal of Emergency Management takes a gender focus and considers intersectional dimensions that can add weight to gender oppression. 

Dr Debra Parkinson
Gender and Disaster Australia

In Australia, we are seeing natural hazards and extreme events such as bushfire and floods becoming more frequent and intense. Globally, the number of disaster events is projected to reach 560 a year by 2030, equating to an average of 1.5 disasters a day. Each of these events will affect different communities, comprised of different people, who have different needs and strengths. Understanding, accepting and advocating for diversity in these communities supports inclusive and effective responses.

Gender diversity, of course, extends beyond the gender binary to include LGBTIQA+ people, and so too does the focus of this edition of the Australian Journal of Emergency Management. Intersectional factors, such as cultural background, disability, and socioeconomic status, all influence how a disaster is experienced. Thus, this edition includes articles that highlight inclusion and diversity more broadly, and we hope this body of knowledge supports practitioners to consider the diversity of people in a future of increasingly intense and frequent disasters.

Dr Margaret Moreton
Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience