Gender Mainstreaming in a Disaster-Resilient Village Programme in Aceh Province, Indonesia: Towards Disaster Preparedness Enhancement via an Equal Opportunity Policy

Gender mainstreaming during pre-disaster, emergency response and post-disaster are urgently needed to reduce the casualties of the disaster. This study aims at assessing the gender mainstreaming performance in the Disaster-Resilient Village Programme (DESTANA) implementation. To examine the gender mainstreaming process, four indicators were used: i) access; ii) participation; iii) control over resources and decision-making; and iv) benefits of policies and programmes. Further, this study assessed the present level of preparedness in the disaster-resilient village and was conducted in Aceh Province, Indonesia. Samples were taken using a probability sampling method with proportionate stratified random sampling of as many as 179 respondents. The result indicates that the implementation of the DESTANA programme does not necessarily enhance the preparedness, especially regarding woman, in response to future disaster. Although the strategy of achieving gender equality (procedurally) has been implemented in the DESTANA programme, more efforts should be carried out to ensure that substantial gender equality is actively promoted. The DESTANA programme will most likely not be gender-responsive until the patriarchal culture is dismantled. Therefore, affirmative action in DESTANA programme is needed to have a better sense of equality that would boost women’s negotiating power and enable them to have their voices heard.