Global crises such as pandemics, wars, and climate change fundamentally reshape societies and leave deep psychological scars. While these challenges affect everyone, their mental health impact is profoundly influenced by gender. Gender norms and roles dictate how individuals experience, process, and recover from crises, resulting in gendered disparities in mental health outcomes. This article explores the mental health consequences of pandemics, wars, and climate change through a gendered lens, examining their root causes, variations in response, and implications for policy and intervention.

1. Gender and Mental Health in Crises: A Conceptual Framework

The Role of Gender Norms

Gender is a social construct that shapes expectations, responsibilities, and behaviors. It influences how individuals experience crises, express emotions, and access mental health support. Women are often assigned caregiving roles and are expected to display emotional openness. Men, conversely, are often socialized to suppress vulnerability, focusing on providing and protecting. These expectations shape their respective mental health responses during crises.

Biological and Intersectional Influences

Biological factors, such as hormonal responses to stress, and socio-economic factors, like race and class, intersect with gender to determine mental health outcomes. For example, hormonal shifts in women during crises can amplify anxiety and depression, while societal factors often limit access to care. Understanding these layered influences is essential for addressing gendered mental health disparities effectively.

2. Mental Health Impacts of Pandemics: A Gendered Perspective

Women’s Mental Health during Pandemics

The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the disproportionate mental health burden borne by women. Studies showed heightened rates of anxiety, depression, and stress among women, particularly those balancing caregiving with professional responsibilities. Women in healthcare, who constitute a significant proportion of frontline workers, faced increased exposure to infection and extreme work-related stress. Meanwhile, women in low-income households often grappled with job losses, housing insecurity, and inadequate access to mental health services.

Gender-Based Violence: Pandemics also exacerbate intimate partner violence (IPV). Lockdowns during COVID-19 led to a global “shadow pandemic” of domestic violence. Women in abusive relationships faced isolation with their abusers and limited access to support services, intensifying their mental health struggles.

Men’s Mental Health during Pandemics

Men’s mental health during pandemics reflects different pressures. Job losses and economic instability led to feelings of inadequacy and stress. The societal expectation for men to be stoic and “strong” often inhibited emotional expression and help-seeking behavior, resulting in underdiagnosed anxiety and depression. Increased substance abuse and higher suicide rates among men were alarming trends observed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

3. Wars and Conflict: Mental Health Impacts by Gender

Men in Conflict Zones

Men are disproportionately involved in active combat roles, which place them at heightened risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Soldiers often face prolonged exposure to violence, life-threatening situations, and moral injuries—psychological distress from actions that violate one’s ethical beliefs. Yet, the stigma around mental health in many cultures discourages male veterans from seeking treatment, leading to untreated PTSD, substance abuse, and sociality.

Women in Conflict Zones

For women, war often brings unique mental health challenges. Women in conflict zones are more likely to experience sexual violence, including rape as a weapon of war. The psychological aftermath of such violence includes depression, PTSD, and chronic anxiety. Displacement, often accompanied by the loss of support systems and increased caregiving responsibilities, further compounds the mental health burden on women.

Displaced Populations: Both men and women in refugee camps face significant mental health challenges, but their experiences differ. Women frequently take on caregiving roles even in displacement, while men struggle with the loss of traditional roles as providers and protectors. These dynamics exacerbate feelings of helplessness and depression for both genders.

4. Climate Change and Mental Health: Gendered Vulnerabilities

Climate change poses long-term, widespread challenges to mental health, with gendered dimensions influenced by socio-economic and cultural factors.

Women’s Mental Health and Climate Crises

Women, particularly in rural and low-income settings, often bear the brunt of climate-induced stress. As primary caregivers and agricultural workers, women are more vulnerable to food insecurity, water scarcity, and displacement caused by environmental disasters. These stressors increase their risk of depression and anxiety disorders. Pregnant women face additional risks, as climate-related stress can lead to complications such as preterm births and heightened postpartum depression.

Men’s Mental Health and Climate Crises

Men, particularly in patriarchal societies, are often expected to provide for their families. The economic disruptions caused by climate change—such as the collapse of farming industries—lead to feelings of inadequacy, loss, and despair. Studies indicate that men may respond to these pressures with increased substance abuse and violence. However, their reluctance to seek mental health support often leaves these issues unaddressed.

Climate Migration and Displacement: Both genders face mental health challenges when displaced due to climate change. Women, however, are more likely to encounter gender-based violence in migration scenarios, while men may grapple with the loss of their traditional roles. These experiences require targeted mental health interventions for displaced populations.

5. Common Themes across Crises

Despite their distinct nature, pandemics, wars, and climate change share several gendered mental health patterns:

Caregiver Burdens

Caregiver burdens are the emotional, physical, and financial strains experienced by individuals who provide care for loved ones with chronic illnesses, disabilities, or aging-related conditions. These burdens are often compounded by the demanding nature of caregiving tasks, such as administering medical treatments, managing daily activities, and providing emotional support. Research shows that caregivers, particularly those in family caregiving roles, face heightened risks of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout, with women disproportionately affected due to gendered caregiving expectations (Pin quart & Sorensen, 2003; Schulz & Eden, 2016). Additionally, caregivers may experience financial strain due to the costs associated with healthcare and caregiving responsibilities, leading to work-related disruptions and reduced quality of life (Hong et al., 2020). Addressing caregiver burdens is essential for improving both the well-being of caregivers and the quality of care provided to recipients, highlighting the need for supportive policies, respite services, and mental health resources

Gender-Based Violence

Global crises exacerbate existing gender-based violence. The psychological impact of such violence is severe, leading to long-term mental health issues like PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Ensuring access to safe spaces and support services is critical during crises.

Help-Seeking Behaviors

Men and women differ in their willingness to seek mental health support. Women are more likely to seek help but often face barriers such as stigma, economic constraints, and lack of access. Men, conversely, are less likely to seek help due to societal expectations of stoicism, resulting in untreated mental health issues.

6. Policy Implications and Interventions

Addressing the gendered mental health impacts of global crises requires targeted, intersectional policies that recognize and address these disparities.

Gender-Responsive Mental Health Policies

Governments and international organizations should implement policies that account for the unique mental health needs of men and women. For example:

• Expanding access to mental health services tailored to survivors of gender-based violence.
• Providing financial support for caregivers, particularly women, to alleviate economic stress during crises.

Enhancing Access to Mental Health Services

Crises often disrupt access to mental health care, particularly in low-income settings. Governments must prioritize maintaining and expanding mental health services, including telehealth options, to ensure continuity of care.

Promoting Help-Seeking Behavior

Campaigns to reduce stigma and normalize help-seeking behaviors for men are essential. For women, ensuring affordability and accessibility of services can bridge gaps in care.

Building Resilience

Interventions that promote resilience, such as community-based support programs and stress management training can help mitigate the mental health impacts of crises. Gender-specific initiatives, such as providing support for women caregivers or addressing economic pressures on men, are particularly effective.

Conclusion

Pandemics, wars, and climate change reveal the deeply gendered nature of global crises and their mental health impacts. While women often face heightened caregiving responsibilities and risks of violence, men grapple with societal expectations that inhibit emotional expression and help-seeking. By understanding these disparities and addressing them through targeted policies and interventions, we can build more equitable and resilient mental health systems that cater to the diverse needs of all genders. The mental health challenges posed by global crises demand not only immediate action but also long-term strategies that prioritize gender equity and inclusivity.