The principal objective of this report is to provide a general overview of the problems experienced by women in disasters and emergencies. Other objectives are to address the gender bias in disaster related research, the critical analysis of established roles of women, the attention needed by operational agencies to the special needs of women together with dependent children, and the integration of the report findings with disaster-related research in general. Given the current status of this field, the report also addresses how to build effectively on existing experience and mechanisms for mobilizing women toward greater preparation in facing disasters and emergency situations. An action-oriented framework offers a schematic representation for the integration of findings into the larger research programme on disasters and emergencies.