How Ending Gender Inequality could Save the Planet

The increasing awareness of intersectionality has caused many inequalities to be reconsidered in regard to their interconnectedness.

Criticisms of exclusionary, and one-track activism which disregards experiences of marginalisation by more than one social prejudice - such as the recent call out of 'white feminists' disregard for non-white women - are increasing in frequency. However, theories which have attempted to explore and address the intersectionality of these issues with environmental crises have long been ignored and are largely unknown.

Ecofeminism comes under this umbrella of intersectional injustice with regard to the environment; however, the polarisation of social issues and environmental crisis, one being labelled the domain of humanitarian activists and the other of scientists, has long prevented this theory from coming under public attention.

So, what is ecofeminism?

Ecofeminism, or Ecological Feminism, is defined as "A philosophical and political movement that combines ecological concerns with feminist ones, regarding both as resulting from male domination of society." It examines the ways in which patriarchal structures which disadvantage women also exacerbate the climate crisis, and conversely, how consequences of the climate crisis disproportionately impact women and intensify gender inequality.

There are two specific cultural mindsets which are examined by feminists, and which become particularly relevant within the field of ecological feminism: value hierarchal thinking and oppositional dualism.

The concept of value hierarchal thinking is when a culture establishes certain groups as inherently more valuable than others. Within the field of ecofeminism, this is addressed in both the context of patriarchal importance of men over women, but also in terms of humanities greater importance than animals and nature.

The second concept of concern, oppositional dualism, is possibly more prevalent within ecological feminist thought, and is defined as the ways of understanding certain societal and cultural binaries. This is addressed within the field of feminism through the view that men and women are not only inherently different, but fundamentally opposite. In the school of ecological thought, oppositional dualism is evidenced in the view that humankind and nature are intrinsically opposite.

These two frameworks of thought are addressed by ecofeminists, arguing they are used to justify the subjugation and exploitation of both women and nature. This interlinking of female and natural oppression is best demonstrated within language; nature has become a feminine principal, with phrases such as 'mother earth' and 'fertile ground', and slang terms for women are often animals, such as 'vixen' and 'chick'.

What does this look like in practice?

Whilst the issues which ecofeminism dissects are evident everywhere, the most fundamental examples exist within agricultural communities in developing countries.

Agriculture is the most important employment sector for women in developing countries, making up 43% of the agricultural work force. However, women face more difficulty in accessing credit cards than men, and thus are restricted in the tools, seeds, and fertilizers which they can use. Furthermore, women have restricted ability to own and buy land, with only 12.8% of global land being owned by women, despite their constituting 51% of the global population. These barriers to female farmers mean that the consequences of climate change have a greater impact on them than their male counterparts - a drought or flood will hit you harder if you don't own the land on which you farm and have restricted access to your crops.

In consequence of these agricultural barriers, known as the 'Agricultural Gender Gap', it is unsurprising that women are able to yield less crops than men for the same area of land. This is by no means a commentary on the abilities of female farmers, but rather on the structures and impediments in place to prevent women's access to the same resources as men. If these restrictions were removed, the yield of female farmers would increase by 20% to 30%, producing enough food to feed 150 million people.

Thus, not only is it in the interests of women to irradicate sexist policies and implement processes by which they can receive the same assistance and supplies as male farmers, but also in aid of our planet and the climate crisis. If female farmers were able to produce the same yield as men, this would decrease the amount of farmland needed to produce sufficient food supplies, and therefore current deforestation implemented to increase farming areas would be superfluous.

Additionally, a focus on increasing education for girls and women around the world would benefit global finances and health, as well as lowering CO2 emissions.

Improving 'education' for girls globally, in the sense that 'education' means ensuring an equal level of educational attainment for both boys and girls, increases women's access to jobs and improves general health, with the specific advantage of reducing infant mortality and the number of women who die in childbirth. Additionally, increasing education gives the means to provide voluntary family planning, in which girls and women are provided with the information needed to decide if, when and how they wish to have a family. This is a global concern - with the failures of the US sex education system causing 45% of pregnancies to be unplanned in 2016 - and would result in fewer children being born each year - reducing the number of people contributing to carbon emissions.

How does climate change disproportionately impact women outside of Agriculture?

Climate change has been labelled a 'threat multiplier', exacerbating social conflicts, and thus, gender-based violence. There has been a marked increase in sexual violence, human trafficking, and child marriage, alongside many other gender-based attacks, which coincide with the increasing issues of climate change.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) conducted a 2-year study of 1,000 sources and reported "We found gender-based violence to be pervasive, and there is enough clear evidence to suggest that climate change is increasing gender-based violence ... As environmental degradation and stress on ecosystems increases, that in turn ..creates scarcity and stress for people, and the evidence shows that, where environmental pressures increase, gender-based violence increases." The report also noted a marked increase in cases of human trafficking in areas where the natural environments were under stress. Additionally, the research recorded a link between the cases of gender-based violence and environment crimes such as wildlife poaching and illegal resource extraction.

Not only are women facing a marked increase in gender-based violence as a consequence of climate change, but in situations of crisis they are also disadvantaged. Long standing gender inequalities have caused disparities in information, mobility, decision-making, and access to resources and training, which then mean women are less likely to survive climate related disasters. After these crises, women are also less likely to have access to relief and assistance.

However, the greater threat of climate change faced by women does not exist purely on a catastrophic, global crisis level. Extreme heat increases cases of stillbirth. Extreme weather fluctuation affects the worlds poor the hardest, and with women constituting 70% of this group, they are some of the most vulnerable to these threats - such as floods and droughts.

So, what can be done?

There is sufficient evidence to indicate a clear, tangible link between climate change and environment crisis and gender inequality. Therefore, solving these issues goes hand in hand. If not for the fact that women constitute 51% of the population, nor that some of the brightest minds of this century are women, then the clear connection between women's rights and global warming should indicate that women need to be at the centre of policy making.

There are no more excuses for the disregard of all women's voices in government and positions of power; this includes women of colour, trans women and LGBTQ+ women, all of whom require a seat at the table. It is evident that the literal end of the world looms if women are not involved in crucial conversations regarding economic, environmental and gender policy. If we wish to save the planet, and humankind, then we need to listen to the voices and experiences of women.

For further information...

Please refer to the sources bellow for references of the information above, and to learn more about the link between gender inequality and the climate crisis.

https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/ecofeminism

https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/gender-and-climate-change

https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/explainer/2022/02/explainer-how-gender-inequality-and-climate-change-are-interconnected

https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/gender-climate-change

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBP0-XUe6bU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuiaXcRSAgA