Cvetković, V., Roder, G., Öcal, A., Tarolli, P., & Dragićević, S. (2018). The role of gender in preparedness and response behaviors towards flood risk in Serbia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(12), 2761. Article The Role of Gender in Preparedness and Response Behaviors towards Flood Risk in Serbia Vladimir M. Cvetkovic´ 1, Giulia Roder 2,*, Adem Öcal 3, Paolo Tarolli 2 and Slavoljub Dragic´evic´ 4 1 Faculty of Security Studies, University of Belgrade, Gospodara Vucˇic´a 50, 11040 Belgrade, Serbia; vmc@fb.bg.ac.rs 2 Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, Agripolis, viale dell’ Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy; paolo.tarolli@unipd.it 3 Independent Researcher, 06500 Ankara, Turkey; ocadem@gmail.com 4 Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade, Studentski Trg 3/III, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; sasa@gef.bg.ac.rs * Correspondence: giulia.roder@phd.unipd.it; Tel.: +39-(049)-8272700 Received: 18 September 2018; Accepted: 3 December 2018; Published: 6 December 2018 check for   updates Abstract: Adverse outcomes from 2014 flooding in Serbia indicated problematic response phase management accentuated by a gender imbalance. For this reason, we investigated the risk perceptions and preparedness of women and men regarding these types of events in Serbia. Face-to-face interviews, administered to 2500 participants, were conducted across 19 of 191 municipalities. In light of the current findings, men seemed to be more confident in their abilities to cope with flooding, perceiving greater individual and household preparedness. By contrast, women displayed a deeper understanding of these events. Perhaps owing to a deeper level of understanding, women demonstrated more household-caring attitudes and behaviors and were more prone to report a willingness to help flood victims at reception centers. Emergency management agencies and land planners should account for these differences in gender awareness and preparedness. Based on these findings, doing so may increase citizen participation and shared responsibility under flood hazard scenarios. Keywords: flood risk; perception; preparedness; gender; Serbia   ‌Introduction Gender disparities exert powerful differences within societies worldwide, even in […]