Chapter 17: Sustainable Environment and Urbanization Policies to Enhance Gender Equality and Women Empowerment

Failure in environment and urbanization policies can cause many challenges (e.g., widespread of informal settlements which generally lack proper infrastructure and sanitation) on human beings affecting their well-being and welfare adversely fostering gender inequality and gender inequality caused problems globally. Furthermore, environmental degradation caused epidemics due to animal-to-human zoonosis can further challenge health and well-being. Women are relatively more vulnerable and experience relatively more difficulties compared to men due to environmental degradation, urbanization problems, and informal settlements having poor infrastructure. Sustainable environment and urbanization policies and their integrated thinking with health policies are vital to enhance gender equality. Based on the literature review, this chapter aims to examine the role of environment and urbanization policies in enhancing gender equality and women empowerment. Furthermore, this chapter investigates causes and consequences of failure in environment and urbanization policies in addressing gender equality and women empowerment. This chapter emphasizes impacts of environment and urbanization policies on health especially on women health and well-being. This chapter further highlights the role of gender equality in achieving healthy and sustainable environment and urbanization policies. Furthermore, this chapter provides recommendations on how to enhance environment and urbanization policies so that they can further support gender equality and women empowerment effectively.