Women paying the cost of the climate crisis with their wombs: quantifying loss and damage faced by women battling drought, debt and migration

As climate change intensifies, it is imperative for policymakers to address the escalating loss and damage it inflicts on vulnerable communities in developing countries. In India's Maharashtra state, these impacts are forcing rural families into life-altering decisions and migrations to work in sugarcane fields, where exploitative practices by contractors, including fines for work absences, are prevalent. The fear of losing income drives many women to have hysterectomies to avoid having to take breaks due to menstrual pain. 

This paper uses two frameworks to analyse and quantify the economic and non-economic loss and damage faced by these communities, offering insights into the multifaceted nature of climate impacts.