The United Nations has projected that women could secure 68 million additional jobs by 2035 if governments invest in care services, social protection and skills development as part of efforts to transition to a low-carbon economy.
The projection, contained in a new UN Women report, suggests that women could account for 66 per cent of all net new jobs created under a gender-responsive climate transition.
The agency disclosed this in its fact sheet, titled *Gender Equality in the Age of Climate Crisis*, released at the ongoing 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31).
The publication forms part of UN Women’s forthcoming report, *Progress of the World’s Women 2027: Gender Equality in the Age of Climate Crisis*.
According to the agency, a gender-just transition could generate 103.7 million net new jobs globally by 2035, with women taking up about 68 million of the opportunities.
It noted that more than half of the projected jobs for women could emerge in sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia.
UN Women, however, warned that without deliberate government intervention, women could be left behind in the emerging green economy.
“UN Women modelling shows that without deliberate policy intervention, less than two per cent of net new green jobs would go to women,” the report stated.
It added that investments in care services, social protection and skills development could significantly change the outcome.
The analysis estimated that investment in care services alone could create 48.3 million additional quality jobs for women, while emerging industries could provide another 19.8 million.
The agency argued that governments must broaden their understanding of green investments beyond renewable energy, cleaner transport and sustainable construction to include care services, which it described as essential to economic development.
It also called for improved access to technical training, social protection and decent working conditions to prevent women from being confined to poorly paid and insecure employment.
Highlighting the existing gender gap, the report disclosed that women occupy only 12 per cent of energy portfolios globally, while just four per cent of climate-focused official development assistance prioritises gender equality.
It further noted that although 73 per cent of countries’ nationally determined contributions recognise the climate risks facing women and girls, only slightly more than one-third address the challenges comprehensively.
UN Women urged governments to place gender equality and women’s rights at the centre of climate policies, stressing the need for investments that strengthen women’s economic security.
**CLIMATE CRISIS COULD PUSH 141 MILLION WOMEN INTO POVERTY**
Beyond the employment opportunities, the agency warned that climate change could push an additional 141 million women and girls into extreme poverty by 2050 under a worst-case emissions scenario.
It attributed their vulnerability to existing inequalities in access to resources, employment opportunities and social protection.
“As the world overshoots agreed limits on global heating, women and girls are bearing the brunt of a crisis they have least contributed to,” the report stated.
The fact sheet revealed that more than one in three women and girls worldwide, representing at least 1.5 billion people, already live in climate hotspots where exposure to droughts and floods combines with insecure livelihoods and deep-rooted gender inequalities.
Citing data from 24 low- and middle-income countries, the agency said a one-degree Celsius rise in average temperatures was associated with women losing 34 per cent more of their total income than men.
It explained that the disparity could be linked to women’s limited opportunities to move into non-agricultural employment or relocate when climate-related disasters destroy livelihoods.
The report also warned that climate change could increase women’s unpaid care responsibilities, particularly the time spent collecting water and fuel and looking after family members following disasters.
Of the 1.8 billion people without water on their premises globally, women are the primary water collectors in two-thirds of households.
Under a high-emissions scenario, the time spent collecting water could rise by as much as 30 per cent by 2050.
On electricity access, UN Women said 326 million women and girls still lack electricity, warning that rising energy demand from artificial intelligence technologies could put additional pressure on power systems.
“The key question is not only how energy is produced, but who consumes it, for what purposes and whose needs are prioritised,” the agency said.
It called for gender-responsive climate policies, expanded social protection, improved access to climate finance and increased investment in women’s economic opportunities to prevent the climate crisis from deepening existing inequalities.
