Student Number

31806

Degree

Master of Science in Development Studies

School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Date of Submission

Summer 5-26-2026

Supervisor

Dr. Nausheen Hafeeza Anwar

Committee Member 1

Dr. Nausheen Hafeeza Anwar, Supervisor, Professor, City & Regional Planning and Director Karachi Urban Lab, Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi, Pakistan

Committee Member 2

Dr. Noman Ahmed, Examiner, Professor, Pro Vice Chancellor, NED University, Karachi

Committee Member 3

Dr. Arslan Waheed, Program Director, Graduate Programs SSLA, Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi

Keywords

Extreme heat, low-income settlements, well-being, gendered vulnerability, urban heat governance

Abstract

The increasing temperatures and the frequency of heat events are a major challenge to the vulnerable urban populations especially women in low-income communities. This research will discuss the effects of extreme heat on the well-being of women living in low-income settlements of Ibrahim Hyderi, Malir, Karachi. The study explores the impact of heat exposure on the emotional health of women, their ability to work, gender roles, caregiving duties, and infrastructural limitations in exacerbating the susceptibility of women to heat stress.

The study relies on qualitative research design, which involves in-depth interviews with twenty-five women who were involved in informal economic activities, both indoors and outdoors. The fieldwork was carried out in the high summer months when the participants could contemplate on their lived experiences of extreme heat. The study uses the gendered climate vulnerability and urban heat governance perspectives to examine how women adaptive capacity is influenced by social structures, infrastructure, and economic conditions.

Moreover, the findings indicate that long-term heat exposure has a considerable impact on the emotional and physical health of women. Most of the participants claimed that excessive heat reduces their capacity to work long hours, which leads to low productivity and insecure income. Women who were involved in home-based and outdoor informal labor explained that high temperatures reduce their working speed and increase physical fatigue. The study also points out the role of poor urban infrastructure such as poor access to electricity, water, ventilation, and shaded areas in increasing heat exposure in homes and workplaces.

In addition, the study shows that extreme heat is not only an environmental phenomenon, but a socially constructed and gendered problem that is influenced by structural inequalities. The results highlight the necessity of gender-sensitive climate change adaptation policies and better urban infrastructure that would support the unique needs of marginalized communities.

Future studies can increase the sample size, cover women working in a broader spectrum of formal and informal industries, and use objective measures of heat like the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) to more accurately determine the extent of heat exposure and its health and productivity effects.

Submission Type

Thesis

Document Type

Restricted Access

Download

Share

COinS