Environmental degradation is characterized by a reduction in the capacity of the environment to meet social and ecological needs. Marginalized groups in urban communities, particularly women and the poor, are disproportionately affected by the negative consequences of environmental degradation, including natural disasters and extreme climate events. To better understand the relationship between environmental degradation and women’s empowerment, we surveyed 1,199 households in 12 slums in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, to create detailed profiles of men’s and women’s social and economic lives, and their experiences with natural disasters and extreme climate events. Using this data, we created the Empowerment in Slums Index (ESI) and the Women’s Empowerment in Slums Index (WESI), which systematically measure men’s and women’s empowerment. We found that women were significantly less empowered than their male counterparts in all three countries, with widest gaps in Pakistan. We also tested several linkages between environmental degradation and empowerment using regression analyses and found many significant associations. For example, in India, the experience of climate change related torrential rain, lack of access to a toilet, poor drainage systems and long distance to a water source significantly lowered empowerment. Poor drainage systems and flooding were also associated with lower empowerment in Pakistan. In Bangladesh, empowerment levels decreased due to lack of access to a toilet, poor street conditions and long distance to water. Across all three countries, shorter stay at current residence, poor street conditions and overcrowding in the home were negatively associated with empowerment, particularly for women.