Risk Society Concept:
- Coined by Ulrich Beck, describes a shift from industrial society to one shaped by uncertainty and risks created by modern technological and environmental developments.
- Focus on managing risks like health crises, pollution, and environmental degradation instead of wealth distribution.
Relevance : GS 1(Society ) ,GS 2(Social Issues)
Technological and Environmental Risks:
- Examples like Chernobyl, Fukushima, and COVID-19 highlight how modernisation can amplify risks with devastating consequences.
- Modernisation introduces new risks, including pollution, depletion of natural resources, and global-scale technological hazards.
Stages of Modernity:
- Pre-industrial Society: Risks were natural and localised (e.g., famine, epidemics) managed through social order.
- Industrial Society: Introduced new risks such as pollution and resource depletion from technological advances.
- Risk Society: Risks are no longer external but generated by the very systems meant to ensure security and development.
Natural vs. Manufactured Risks:
- Natural Risks: Unpredictable, localised (e.g., earthquakes, floods).
- Manufactured Risks: Arise from human activities (e.g., nuclear accidents, environmental degradation, pandemics), often global and difficult to predict or control.
Global Impact of Manufactured Risks:
- Risks like climate change disproportionately affect poorer nations, making them more vulnerable due to limited resources.
Gendered Dimension of Risk:
- Women, especially in developing countries, are disproportionately burdened by risks due to gender roles (e.g., caregiving, water collection).
- Unpaid domestic labour and informal sector roles contribute to women’s vulnerability.
- Women are more susceptible to health risks (e.g., water pollution, air quality) due to their roles in household management.
Health and Economic Inequality:
- Women face worse health outcomes due to environmental risks (e.g., respiratory diseases, food scarcity).
- Economic vulnerability: Limited access to resources, land, and property further exacerbates their ability to recover from environmental or economic disasters.
- Gendered caregiving roles contribute to the emotional and physical burden women face in managing risks.
Conclusion:
- Beck’s theory of a risk society highlights the unequal distribution of risks and their gendered impacts, showing how women bear a disproportionate burden of modern risks and crises.
