The dominant discourse of gender focuses on the binary of woman/man, despite the known additional risks for diverse sexualities and gender minorities in disasters. Given the small but growing body of literature concerning gender minorities in disasters, this paper sets out to explore the place of sex and gender minorities in disasters and to examine whether a binary definition needs to be extended. A five-stage rapid review was undertaken following Arksey and O’Malley’s method. Peer-reviewed journal articles in English language were sought that included disaster and gender terms in the title, abstract, and/or body of the article published between January 2015 and March 2019. The search included MEDLINE and Scopus databases. Relevant information from the studies were charted in Microsoft Excel, and results were summarized using a descriptive analytical method. In total, 729 records were identified; 248 that did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded and 166 duplicates were removed. A total of 315 records were sourced and their full text was reviewed. Of those, only 12 journal articles included content relative to more than two genders. We also recognized that sex and gender terms were used interchangeably with no clear differentiation between the two. We recommend that disaster scholars and practitioners adopt correct terminology and expand their definition of gender beyond the binary; utilize work on gender fluidity and diversity; and apply this to disaster research, policy, and practice.

This paper draws on the geographies of emotion and masculinities literature to explore rural men’s experiences of the 2016 Kaikōura/Waiau earthquake in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 men affected by the earthquake. Geographies of emotion enable reflection on the social context and individual circumstances of those impacted by natural hazard events, thereby contributing to understanding the way local constructions of gender influence people’s experiences of disasters. The paper highlights how emotions are present regardless of how antipodean notions of hegemonic masculinity, reflecting stoicism and reserve, shape disaster responses. The research identified that two years on from the earthquake, men were still emotional when talking about the earthquake, yet attempted to silence their emotional distress. Through an analysis of emotion, men’s hidden vulnerabilities and capacities, which are linked to sets of understandings about masculinities in place, are captured. This research illustrates the value of undertaking analysis of men’s emotions in disaster spaces.

There is an emerging area of research that examines men’s personal disaster accounts, including how gender identities and sets of understandings about masculinities shape response and recovery. This paper adds to the literature through providing a geographic enquiry into men’s sense of place and identifying the impacts of the Kaikōura/Waiau (7.8 M_w) earthquake sequence on rural men. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 19 men across Marlborough and North Canterbury who experienced the earthquake. Findings explored how rural masculine identities, exemplified in the Southern Man trope, were integral to rural men’s earthquake stories. Drawing on Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, capital and doxa and using field as a geographic metaphor for place, the research identified that participants relied upon rural skills and local knowledges to navigate the changing dynamics of place. More broadly, this paper illustrates how post-disaster impacts on individuals and communities may be traced through examining a gendered sense of place.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to draw attention to how harmful and inaccurate discourses pertaining to disaster responsibility is produced, the negative implications such narratives pose and the role of the media in the ways in which discourses about queerness and disaster are reported.Design/methodology/approach: Throughout this paper, the authors detail examples of media reporting on discourses relating to people with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) being blamed and held responsible for disasters across the world. The authors examine the value of such reporting as well as describing the harm blame narratives have on queer people and communities.Findings: There is little value in reporting on accounts of people publicly declaring that people with diverse SOGIESC are to blame for disaster. More sensitivity is needed around publishing on blame discourses pertaining to already marginalised communities.Originality/value: This article contributes to the developing scholarship on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, agender, asexual and aromantic individuals, plus other gender identities and sexual orientations (LGBTQIA+/SOGIESC) and disasters by detailing the harm of blame discourses as well as drawing attention to how the media have a role to play in averting from unintentionally providing a platform for hate speech and ultimately enhancing prejudice against people with diverse SOGIESC.

The examination of gender in fieldwork highlights a need to provide attention to possible problematic instances that may arise between women interviewers and men participants. Qualitative research identifies that women interviewing men find themselves continually navigating power imbalances while attempting to negotiate safe environments for themselves. Gender in fieldwork predominately focuses on differences between interviewer and interviewees, with little understanding of similarities that contribute to shaping the research environment and research outcomes. This article draws on PhD research and my experience as a cisgender woman PhD student conducting interviews with cisgender men to demonstrate the multiple meaningful ways interviews are constructed and negotiated, including how both interviewer and interviewees draw on sameness in the field. I argue that gendered behaviours are not always obvious and problematic, but rather can be subtle, fluid and work to support shared understandings of the research topic.

This paper contributes to the emerging field of men, masculinities, and disasters by drawing on narratives of men's accounts of the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, including how stories of the earthquake intersect with experiences and understandings of extreme weather and climate change. A qualitative methodology was employed, and semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 19 men who experienced the 7.8 magnitude earthquake. This article offers an examination of the complexity of disaster experiences and recovery, as well as how people make sense of hazards and risks. We argue that ongoing exposure to climate hazards informed participant's responses to other infrequent natural hazard events, such as the Kaikōura earthquake. The research identified that men construct their own understandings and responses to natural hazards through a hierarchy of risk perception and probability based on personal experience.