Where Gender and Climate Change Intersect
As women, why is our relationship with the environment significant? One may ask this question because, at the surface level, feminism and environmentalism seem to be two separate concepts. However, many fail to realize that feminism and environmentalism are interdisciplinary approaches to issues of equality and equity. The feminist and environmental movements were both founded by a common connection to suppression and the male-driven-capitalist power structure.
Defining Ecofeminism
The term eco-feminism emerged as a combination of these two movements. Feminist and environmental movements are actually intertwined, and to combat climate change, women must be treated equally in social, political, and economic realms. The intersection between feminism and environmentalism has been demonstrated to be true.
Ecofeminism Demonstrated
It has been proven that women are more likely to live in poverty than men due to their lesser access to fundamental human rights and the systematic violence they endure in times of instability. According to a report released by the United Nations, women are 4% more likely to live in extreme poverty globally. Working-age women, specifically, are 22% more likely to live in great poverty. Severe weather, droughts, rising sea levels, and other climate change-induced issues disproportionately affect women because of the fact that women are more likely to live in these impoverished areas. Climate change makes it harder for families in remote rural communities to manage household responsibilities like cooking, cleaning, gathering resources, and caring for children. When droughts and extreme temperatures dry up water sources, for instance, women have to travel longer distances to collect water for daily tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and gardening. As a result, these women have less time to collect an income, which prevents them from becoming economically independent. Their inability to be financially independent only encourages this notion of male superiority.
As a lot of us know, poverty is a complex cycle to escape. These environmental changes and threats that disproportionately face women can lead to unemployment. Unemployment makes it increasingly difficult for women to leave impoverished areas. Without some sort of human intervention, unemployment ultimately leads to an increased risk of violence and sexual exploitation among women. For example, in countries where women and young girls are responsible for fetching water, 8 out of 10 households have a woman who has been exposed to the risk of sexual assault and rape en route to their water source. In Peru, illegal mining operations traffic girls as young as 12 years old. In parts of Africa, the unlawful charcoal and logging trade leads to extensive human rights abuses, including sexual exploitation. The list continues.
What Should be the Next Steps?
Addressing gender-based violence is fundamental. Policymakers must close the gap and ensure that effective environmental laws, policies, and strategies are in place that promote gender equality and take ecological factors into account. Additionally, governments should partner with humanitarian and health organizations that specialize in gender-based violence. The goal would be to adopt environmental policies that help prevent violence and enable women to be active members of society without the possibility of enduring abuse or violence of some sort.
