By Angélica Roldán Arias
Against a palpable reality of inequality, sociological
efforts have been demonstrating the existence of a strong relationship between
current gender problematic and the environmental crisis, for which, the
understanding that both aspects are interconnected represents an important tool
for transforming our way we relate to each other as human beings and with
nature.
We know that, since the emergence of
life on the planet, diverse organisms have originated through evolutionary
processes in the constant search of balance, where the conformation of the
human species can be defined as “auto-organized
species through social systems, with the capacity of growing, response,
homeostasis and in a state of constant exchange with the surrounding
environment”. Gradually, these systems have been conceived as a society that
within its coexistence has lost relations of equality in all its areas, a
society perpetuated by a system of domination of one another. As Riane Eisler says
in her work “El cáliz y la Espada”, the record of social lifestyles of
the past shows the existence of societies with a dynamic of respect for values
and caring for ecosystems. However, and especially since the sexual division of
labour, the consolidation of a system of androcentric domination, that is,
where the vision of the man as the “center of the world” is established, has
been mainly imposed n management and leadership roles. It has been attributed
to this fact, the cause for which female representation begins to be invisible
in history, and consequently, the appearance of gaps that prevent the
satisfaction of basic needs in an equitable way. Moreover, a disconnection of
human beings with nature has been manifested through its overexploitation,
which presents a greater intensification in historical periods such as
industrialization. These exercises of power, called dehumanizing, have been
interpreted as a part of an inherent development of human beings, and therefore,
they have been normalized.
For this reason, the currents called
ecofeminism emerged, specifically at the end of the seventies, to recognize
this historical androcentrism as an axis of development that has placed women
and nature into the background in terms of rights, since it is about problems
derived from the transformation and exploitation of the land, simile to the
body and work of women.
In that sense, we have been
influenced by a system that continues to require the fight for women’s rights
through the inclusion of gender perspective, or approach, in all areas:
political, cultural, economic, academic. Likewise, in recent years, we have
been witnessing the effects of environmental degradation that urgently
anticipates the need to transform our conception of development, primarily
through the devastating effects of climate change. Under this scenario, the
efforts of the environmental struggle and engineering focused on the analysis
of prevention and restoration of environmental impacts are necessary,
especially when recognizing that the resources are increasingly limited and
that there is a confrontation with the growing demand. Clearly, this increase
in the demand for resources is linked to a drastic population growth, as well
as to our current consumption patterns, and according to ecofeminist guidelines,
the exploitation of female bodies for reproduction, especially in scenarios of
poverty, represents an important factor for the unleashing of the
overpopulation. As mentioned, these consequences derive from such conception of
development, from a system that we know as “subject-object”.
This leads us to think about the
potential of ecofeminist thinking for the contribution of new models by
integrating a double commitment: on one hand, the search for equitable
relationships in order to achieve equality between genders, and on the other,
the pressing need to conserve and preserve ecosystems, to integrate an
ecological “reconversion”. The main ecofeminist thinkers such as Vandana Shiva,
share that these new models would only be possible through a multidisciplinary
change where female participation is transversal in the definition of public
policies, and where the voice and the decision of those who are the most
affected by the degradation of ecosystems are visible. Thus, the change should
pay special attention to the current conception of what we know as
sustainability. The aim is to approach it from a more human and less mercantile
perspective, especially through a more realistic economy, which includes
measures such as the analysis and assessment of all the implications of
producing a good or service: quantifying real environmental impacts through an
analysis of life cycle production. In the same way, modifying the consumption
patterns to give rise to a prioritization of the local economy over the global
economy, taking measures such as the promotion of wage equity, the revaluation
of reproductive functions and the care of people and the land, would allow
these gaps to be reduced. It should be mentioned that sharing knowledge is a
fundamental tool.
It is easy to understand the
ecofeminist theory from the proposals and projects that allow generating a
space of interconnection between both struggles. Such is the case of the
nuclear disaster in Three Mile Island that gave rise, in 1980, to a congress
led by women to carry out actions to control and prevent environmental
disasters. Taking Ecuador as an example, the organization of women in
resistance “Sinchi Warmi”, that in the kichwa language means “strong woman”,
includes a group of female leaders who coordinate various economic activities
like the “Warmi Muyu” project. It focuses on the commercialization of
handicrafts made by female defenders of the local territory in the face of
activities with the potential for massive destruction of ecosystems with water resource
impacts. These initiatives, as they mention, make it possible to demonstrate
that there are sustainable and feasible economic alternatives for women in
local communities.
Like these proposals, it is necessary to understand
that gender and environmental issues are the clearest manifestation of the
consequences of our current vision of the world. The emergence of new
strategies that adjust politics, economy and culture, will allow us to treat
both problems that at first glance seem to be unrelated to each other. It is
about new proposals for action, as a challenge, that alter the bases in all
areas, to question and prioritize the care and protection of nature and all
living beings as part of it.
Because we are co-dependent and eco-dependent. Because
somewhere in human history, it was possible.
Author:
Angélica Roldán Arias (Cuenca, Ecuador) is an Environmental Engineer from
Universidad de Cuenca. In her
degree thesis, she addressed the topic “Relationship between the water quality
of the El Salado stream and the land use of urban and peri-urban area in Baños
parish, Cuenca, Ecuador”. She is interested in issues related to environmental
education, consulting, ecology, and gender.
Bibliografía:
Ávila, A. 2020. Las organizaciones como
sistemas sociales complejos. Accessed June, 2021,
en: https://integracion-academica.org/vol1numero2-2013/25-las-organizaciones-como-sistemas-sociales-complejos
Fundación GAMMA. (2021). Género, Ecofeminismo
y Sostenibilidad: Elementos de Convergencia y Enfoques. Taller Internacional
Ecofeminismo y Sostenibilidad
Maria, M., & Vandana, S. (1993).
Ecofeminism. Halifax: Fernwood.
RIANE, E. (1997). El Cáliz y la Espada. La
mujer como fuerza en la historia.
Zein, Laila Fariha, y Adib Rifqi Setiawan. 2019.
General Overview of Ecofeminism. preprint. Open Science Framework.
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