The Paradox of Gendering Nature
Reconciling a feminine “Mother Earth” with a masculine wilderness.
Mother Earth. The Great Outdoors. The Wild Wilderness.
We so often personify aspects of our natural environment to certain degrees that seem contradictory. We attach a feminine connotation to our common home when we say “Mother Earth” yet society has repeatedly taught us that the wilderness is something that is inherently masculine. While seemingly harmless, the gendering of nature poses significant barriers to multiple modern day activist groups.
Love Your Mother
The personification of nature stems from the life-giving and nurturing aspects it provides, hence taking on the form of a mother. The word nature itself can be derived from the Latin word natura which, in ancient times, literally meant “birth”. When it feels like our built environment is collapsing around us, we instinctively turn to nature. Referring to our common home as “Mother Earth” provides a comforting analogy such that we feel like we will be protected and taken care of by a motherly figure. As consoling as this analogy can be, it is proving to be harmful to environmental movements and women’s movements alike.
In saying “Mother Earth” we are provided with a false sense of care and security. While climate change, pollution, and overconsumption pose significant threats to human existence, the last thing needed is the subconscious assumption that everything will magically work itself out. If the earth is in fact our mother, answer me this: How can a mother effectively protect and provide for a child that is actively destroying her?
Perhaps the earth is viewed as an intrinsically feminine being because of society’s enforced gender roles. The earth and women alike have historically been viewed as something that is to be conquered and controlled. The mutual exploitation of both parties is not something that can be overlooked. The modern environmental movement and the gender equality movement have been rapidly growing and moving towards justice simultaneously, like waves weaving through and falling over each other throughout history.
The Outdoorsman
The femininity of Mother Earth is something to be contrasted and compared with the masculinity of wilderness. Picture an outdoorsman and what comes to mind? You most likely thought of a large, burly looking man with a big beard and sturdy attire. The history of this goes back to traditional American naturalists and writers such as Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. The works of these writers have undoubtedly shaped the way we view nature in that they force us to view the subject from a distinctly male perspective. Travel writer and poet Suzanne Roberts once put this simply by saying,
“I realized I had been relying on a male translation of nature rather than listening to my own voice”.
The masculinity of the wilderness can be seen in countless ways in modern day society. Consider the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts. While the missions of the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts are similar, a difference arises in the level of outdoorsmanship both organizations require. An article by The Washington Post explains this in saying that Boy Scouts must earn merit badges to move up in rank where many of these badges focus on outdoor and survival skills. The Girls Scouts, on the other hand, can choose from a wide variety of badges such that it is possible they can move through the program without earning a lot of outdoor badges. Instead of focusing on notions of outdoorsmanship, the Girls Scouts Vice President Jennifer Allebach says that the organization seeks to develop leadership skills in other ways, such as learning to advocate for environmental protection.
Another example of masculinized wilderness pertains to the common fear of violence that is shared by women who explore the outdoors alone. If hiking solo, women are cautioned by others to stay safe instead of have fun. While exploring the backcountry alone, women will avoid isolated paths and take a variety of extra safety precautions. This yet again enforces the masculinity of outdoor exploration. This goes to show that society has a lot of work to do to eliminate the barriers towards women’s participation in outdoor activities.
How Can We Reconcile This?
How can we reconcile the femininity of our earth with the masculinity of the wilderness? To begin, we can recognize and work to eliminate the society gendering of the environment in these aspects. Removing the phrase “Mother Earth” is an unnecessary expectation to hold up, but if you refer to the earth as our mother, do so in understanding that she cannot protect us while we exploit her. Similarly, if you are considering venturing into the wilderness, no matter your gender, consider the role you play in encountering environmental gender norms.
