Gendered approach towards disaster recovery: Experiences from 2011 floods in Pathumthani province, Thailand

Disaster recovery is multifaceted and depends upon various actors who are involved in coping up after a natural disaster. Gender plays a significant role during every phase of disaster management. Thailand suffered from its largest and most expensive floods in 2011 which devastated the industrial sectors hitting hardest on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This study aims at learning from the experiences of women entrepreneurs who went through 2011 floods. The methods involved questionnaire survey, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Findings included barriers, success and failure stories among the women entrepreneurs in SMEs of the Pathumthani province in Thailand. Gendered approach was found to be key factor in faster recovery of SMEs from 2011 floods.