Women's subjective resilience to climate change in informal settlements: Learning from residents in Nairobi, Kenya

Samantha C Winter , Kianna Stamps, Anna Balakrishnan, Haley Brown , Gi Un Shin, Florence Kyoheirwe Muhanguzi, Theobald Frank Theodory, Aishworya Shrestha, Agness Mchome , Hailey Hansen, Lena Moraa Obara, Susan S. Witte

This study explores women's subjective resilience to climate change in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, focusing on the lived experiences of women who face heightened vulnerability. Informal settlements, characterized by overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure, and insecure tenure, are disproportionately affected by extreme weather events such as flooding and heatwaves. While existing literature highlights climate resilience at the socio-ecological systems level, there is limited attention on women's personal experiences and adaptive strategies. This research fills that gap by investigating how women perceive and respond to climate challenges, contributing valuable insights into the relationship between individual resilience and broader systems of adaptation. Using qualitative methods, the study examines the roles women play in household and community-level adaptation, emphasizing their agency and the systemic barriers they encounter, including poverty, political marginalization, and limited access to resources. The findings reveal that women’s resilience is shaped by interactions between personal assets and strategies and external resources at every level of the social-ecology. These interactions both reinforce and challenge broader socio-ecological resilience frameworks, highlighting the need for integrated, context-specific climate adaptation. The study calls for more inclusive approaches to climate adaptation that build on mutual aid and community-level initiatives in informal settlements to recover, adapt and transform in the face of climate change. Ultimately, this research offers a foundation for designing more effective, community-driven climate strategies that center women’s experiences and promote sustainable, system-level resilience.