The Gulf Oil Spill one year later: Gendered Layer of Impact?

Gulf Oil Drilling Disaster: Gendered Layers of Impact
by Jacqui Patterson


The Deepwater Horizon Oil Drilling Disaster of April 20, 2010 (the “BP Oil Spill”) is, as the news sometimes tells us, causing grave damage to the waterways and shores, marshlands and bayous of the Gulf of Mexico. Far more hidden is the devastation wrought on the women in scores of coastal communities.

My research and investigations in the Gulf region indicate that while all were affected, the women of the coast experienced differential impacts and unique issues during the disaster and in its aftermath. In this regard, the Gulf disaster fits in with the experiences of disasters worldwide, in which, across the board, women are disproportionately affected. More: http://www.ontheissuesmagazine.com/2011spring/2011spring_Patterson.php