Dr Louise Lawson, a lecturer in social policy at the University of Glasgow, has highlighted how heatwaves expose and intensify existing inequalities, with women and low-income families bearing the brunt of disruption. In a letter responding to a Guardian report on the heatwave's impact, Lawson argues that climate resilience cannot be separated from issues of care, poverty, and gender equality.
Heatwaves magnify existing social inequalities
Lawson notes that discussions of extreme weather often focus on infrastructure while neglecting the unequal social conditions that shape people's ability to cope. Her research on women in multiple low-paid jobs revealed how they juggle work and unpaid care with little capacity to absorb unexpected shocks. When heatwaves strike, school closures, disrupted routines, and increased care demands disproportionately affect women, who are often left to pick up the pieces.
For families already struggling with rising living costs, keeping homes cool, travelling safely, or taking time off work creates further pressures. Those caring for children with additional or complex needs, who already face significant gaps in support, see their practical, emotional, and financial pressures compounded.
Calls for investment in care and social security
Lawson calls for greater investment in childcare, social care, and social security, alongside recognising the value of unpaid care work, performed mainly by women. She quotes Emily Dickinson from the original article: 'We feel like we’re the peasants that just have to deal with it.' Lawson describes this as profoundly wrong in one of the world's richest countries, not due to a lack of resources, but because society has chosen not to value care, adequately support families, or protect those on low incomes from preventable hardship.
Heatwaves, she concludes, do not create these inequalities—they expose them.
