Precarity and Patriarchal Bargain: Women's Experiences in Post-Disaster Recovery Housing After the 2011 Van Earthquake

Abstract

In this paper, we frame women's experiences in post-disaster recovery housing to highlight the differential distribution of their vulnerabilities. While studies have reported women's resilience in their new residence, their social vulnerability is often exacerbated in post-disaster recovery housing as they disproportionately shoulder the familial responsibilities with limited resources. We collected and analyzed 350 face-to-face interviews with women survivors living in the post-disaster recovery housing after the 2011 Van earthquake. Using Butler's concept of precarity, we argue that under the prevailing patriarchal system, the physical location and the configuration of the new residence, and women's familial status continue to differentially pose challenges for displaced women and worsen their vulnerabilities even years after their relocation. We found that while some women experienced positive changes, they continue to bargain with patriarchy, underlining the oppressiveness of the patriarchal system