Perhaps “ecofeminism” or “ecological feminism” is a term that you have never heard. In a social context of increasing interest in both environmental issues and gender equality, ecofeminism is formed as a confluence between these two currents and acquires more and more strength, being both a theoretical framework and a social movement. We can define it as the way to achieve gender equality also taking into account environmental care.
If you want to learn more about this social movement, we recommend that you continue reading this ecology article in which we explain to you What is ecofeminism, examples and authorsamong more details.
What is ecofeminism
To know the Definition of ecofeminism We have to attend to the two parts that make up this word: on the one hand we find “eco-“, derived from the Greek “oikos” or “house”, and that refers to the study and care of the environment in which we live. On the other hand we find “feminism”, which can be defined as a socio -political movement whose objective is to achieve real equality between men and women in all areas of life. Thus, according to these two parties, we could understand that ecofeminism is the way to achieve Gender equality also attending to the care of the environment.
We recommend you read this other article about what the environment is.
Examples of ecofeminism
What is translated? What concrete issues does ecofeminism take? The truth is that he does it many issues. Next, we leave you some examples:
- The role of women In all movements of Environmental Defense.
- Gender bias in the impacts of environmental degradation such as climate change.
- The ordination of cities to make them both friendlier to care and sustainable tasks.
- Gender bias in custody of the territory and property of the land.
- Gender bias in socio -political positions of relevance for the defense of the environment.
- Pollutants with greater incidence in women’s health.
- The role of traditionally feminine roles and values in environmental care.
- Study of confluences between the domination of nature and the domination of women.
And a long etcetera. Ecofeminism encompasses everything that affects the environment and women differentially.
How ecofeminism or ecological feminism arose
Although women have traditionally been connected to Earth and their defense, it is not until the 1970s when the French Fraçoise d’eaubonne (disciple of the great feminist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir) Acuña The term “ecofeminism” in his essay “feminism or death”. In this work, D’Eaubonne proposes the value of the link between nature, “wild” and womenand plasma the ideological connection between the exploitation of nature and that of women.
During the decade of 1970 We find several movements of nature protection women. The Chipko movement and the green belt movement stand out very markedly. The Chipko movement developed in the Uttar Pradesh (India) region, and consisted of the defense of communal forests hugging them, in the name of the female principle of nature. For its part, the green belt movement took place in Kenya and was a tree planting movement to prevent desertification in rural areas, which also provided work to women in the area.
From the decade of 1980, ecofeminism expands and it diversifies exponentially. We speak many times for this of “ecofeminisms”, due to the great diversity of their currents. Several studies and essays arise in which the authors develop some of the issues that we have already mentioned, and establish transverse connections with other movements, such as the defense of animal rights, the need for the adaptation of the economy to the needs of people and the planet, or the processes of colonialism/neocolonialism.
Currently, the Ecofeminist Movement has its maximum expression in Asia and Latin America, with theoretical authors of different nationalities.
Authors of Ecofeminism
Next, we leave you a small review of some of the most important ecofeministsalthough we strongly recommend reading more information about your works:
- Françoise d’Eaubonne: He coined the term “ecofeminism” and showed the connection between the exploitation of nature and that of women, as we have already seen.
- Vandana Shiva: It is one of the greatest referents of ecofeminism worldwide. This author and activist of India is a fervent defender of women’s role in custody of the territory, sustainable agriculture and the maintenance of traditional seed banks. Some of his texts refer to the traditional spirituality of India. He currently has his own foundation and his work is recognized worldwide.
- Alicia Puleo: This Spanish author and doctor in Philosophy has written several works around inequality between men and women. For its part, it has developed the thesis of critical ecofeminism, in which it is considered that women do not have a link with nature per sebut in any case, unsustainable economic growth makes confluence between feminism and ecology inevitable.
- Yayo Herrero: Spanish anthropologist and university professor, has been coordinator of Ecologists in Action Spain and has participated in numerous social initiatives linked to ecofeminism. It maintains the impossibility of capitalist growth in a world with finite resources, which also precarizes and invisible the works that make possible the maintenance of human life, such as agricultural production or reproductive work, and proposes a transition to a sustainable economic model.
We recommend you learn more about feminism with this Psychology-online article on the types of feminism that exist today, apart from ecofeminism in which we have focused here.
If you want to read more articles similar to Ecofeminism: What is, examples and authorswe recommend that you enter our category of other ecology.
