How Extreme Heat is Reshaping Women's Lives in Thailand

New research from HERA reveals the severe health and financial impacts of extreme heat on Thailand's 11 million women informal workers

In Thailand, more than 11 million women work in scorching temperatures to earn a daily wage.

As street vendors, motorcycle taxi drivers, domestic workers, and home-based workers, they spend long hours outdoors or in poorly ventilated spaces – often as their household's primary earner.

But extreme heat is threatening their health, income, and dignity.

New findings from HERA (formerly Climate Resilience for All), Prudence Foundation's partner organisation, reveal the devastating toll of rising temperatures on women in Thailand's informal economy.

Through workshops with 299 women workers across eight provinces, HERA documented their lived experiences and started to co-create solutions.

The Health Toll

Women reported acute and chronic conditions directly linked to extreme heat: headaches, dizziness, fainting, heatstroke, nosebleeds, painful heat rashes, and in some cases, miscarriages.

"As soon as the weather gets hot, I start getting headaches and dizziness—I just can't keep driving," shared Koi, a 42-year-old motorcycle taxi driver who miscarried during the record-shattering April 2025 heat.

Mental health challenges were widespread, including insomnia, anxiety, irritability, and depression – particularly among women balancing paid work with intensive caregiving roles.

The Financial Crisis

The workshops revealed devastating economic impacts:

• Shellfish processors saw daily earnings drop 75 percent – from 400 baht (USD 12) to just 100 baht (USD 3) – as extreme heat caused rapid food spoilage
• Home weavers reported 50 percent productivity losses as labour became impossible between 11am and 3pm.
• Motorcycle taxi drivers' income was slashed in half as passenger demand vanished during peak heat
• Electricity costs tripled and water bills spiked 75-80 percent as families tried to cope

Healthcare costs – ranging from 3 to 10 times a woman's daily wage – created additional barriers to treatment.

Compounded Vulnerabilities

Beyond health and income impacts, extreme heat exacerbates gender-based risks. Women motorcycle taxi drivers reported increased exposure to sexual assault and harassment when shifting to night work to avoid daytime heat.

Many women fell into an "exhaustion trap", working nights to prevent product spoilage while spending daylight hours caring for heat-affected children and elderly family members – eliminating any opportunity for rest.

From Awareness to Action

The workshops themselves created change. Following participation, 70 per cent of women gained stronger understanding of extreme heat's impacts, and 99 per cent now recognise it as a serious threat to their lives and livelihoods.

The women displayed a strong readiness for collective, community-led solutions.

In 2024, HERA partnered with Prudence Foundation to roll out the Women’s Climate Shock Insurance and Livelihoods Initiative (WCSI) in India.

This microinsurance and cash assistance initiative, combined with an early warning and heat-health messaging system, has been helping women prepare for and recover from heat shocks.

The WCSI programme is now focusing on accelerating localised, gender-responsive interventions in Thailand, together with local partners.