Julia Klayman ‘25 employs ethnographic research and community engagement to investigate the impact of landslides on women, uncovering the complex intersection of gender and health in Bududa
When Julia Klayman ‘25 first volunteered with the Pathways to Development Initiative, the local NGO in Bududa, Uganda, she never expected to spend her subsequent summers conducting research on transactional sex. The region’s rural landscape and frequent natural disasters disproportionately impact women, especially young women, who often engage in transactional sex to secure basic necessities, services like taxi rides, or even luxury goods.
A global studies and political science double major, Klayman has always been interested in volunteering and working with women and children. After exploring the region and getting to know the community, she observed a stark gender disparity. “Men are placed on this pedestal and women are looked at as second class-citizens,” she says. This realization inspired her to investigate how landslides affect women and the coping mechanisms they employ to deal with the aftermath.
Read Julia Klayman's full story on the College of Arts and Sciences News
Spotlight Recipient
Julia Klayman
Global studies and political science double major