Ecofeminism and Sustainable Development (Essay Sample)

Ecofeminism and Sustainable Development Introduction Anthropogenic activities have had adverse effects on the environment, endangering the earth’s survival and future generations. The adverse effects have necessitated a behavior change, emphasizing more efficient and rational management of natural resources while reducing pressure on such ecosystems. The best practices are enshrined in the concept of sustainable development, which entails long-term use of natural resources without thwarting the survival of future generations. The sustainable development concept uses the triple bottom line concept of managing resources across the social, economic, and environmental domains. However, the current approach has been found lacking, as natural ecosystem degradation is a recurring theme across the globe. Thus, there is a need for an alternative, which can be found in ecofeminism, as this essay will elaborate. Through ecofeminism, a connection is made between natural resources degradation and the oppression of women in society. Thus, examining nature in line with the situation of women in society could provide a solution to social, economic, and environmental challenges ailing society today in the quest for sustainable development. Sustainable Development The sustainable development concept was born when the United Nations formed an independent workforce in 1984, comprising 22 individuals from member states in the global North and south and charging them with the responsibility to identify long-term environmental solutions for the entire world (Elliot, 2013). The task force results were documented in 1987’s ‘Our Common Future’ report by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), which introduced the concept of sustainable development into the international political arena (Elliot, 2013). This was a response to the alteration caused by humanity on natural ecosystems (Shende et al., 2015).  The WCED defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Elliot, 2013, 8). Sustainable development consists of three economic, social, and environmental pillars (Bayeh, 2016; Ourahmoune et al., 2014). Here, the concept of sustainable developments calls into attention the needs of future generations, even as the current generation satisfies its needs. According to Warth and Koparanova (2012; cited in Bayeh, 2016), sustainable development's goal and biggest challenge is to ensure convergence among the pillars of social development, environmental protection, and economic development. Without satisfying the three pillars, sustainable development cannot be achieved.             However, years later, the challenge persists. Most of the attention has been given to economic development, affecting the balance between the three sustainability pillars. Specifically, the world is still lagging in ensuring sustainability in the social and environmental pillars. According to Klarin (2018), social sustainability entails upholding human rights and equality, preserving cultural identity, and respecting race, cultural identity, and religion. Such is lacking today due to the rising cases of racism, religious and cultural intolerance, gender inequality, and abuse of human rights. The ailing condition of social inequalities and poor environmental health necessitates a change in focus to an alternative sustainable development model that will balance the social, economic, and environmental pillars, hence the attention to ecofeminism. Ecofeminism The term ecofeminism was initially introduced by Françoise DíEaubounne, in 1974. In a book, Le Feminisme ou la Mort (Feminism or Death), DíEaubounne established a relationship between male domination, overpopulation, and environmental devastation (Echegoyen-Sanz & Martín-Ezpeleta, 2021). According to Ecofeminists, there is a relationship between the treatment of natural ecosystems and women in society (Warren, 1997). Not just the treatment of women per se. Ecofeminism purports that the way society treats women, people in lower social class and people of color relates to the treatment offered to nonhuman nature (Warren, 1997). Accordingly, ecofeminists, any environmental movement or ethics that fail to recognize the relationship between the treatment of women, minorities, and lower social groups in society and how society treats the built environment is faulty. The nature-woman connection from a feminist perspective is based on how the patriarchal society treats both parties. According to Coric (2014), women and nature are treated equally as passive subjects. As passive subjects, ecofeminists posit that women and nature qualify to be subjected to various social inequality forms and violence (Coric, 2014; Anjum, 2020). The same ideology, based on patriarchy that has subjected the built environment to exploitation and domination by man, is the same principle used when treating women in society. According to Coric (2014), man considers women as wild and untamed, just like they consider nature. Just as man tames nature, the same applies to women. Man must tame her, in a similar version as nature, through violence, restricting her choice and freedom, and by denying her education (Coric, 2014). Thus, “ecofeminism is not the environmental movement which is strictly feminine because of the women who lead it or participate in it, but because of its basic similarities between the status of women and nature in the modern world” (Coric, 2014, 552). Accordingly, Zein & Setiawan (2017) concur with Coric (2014) by stating that women do not relate to nature by being feminine but because of experiencing similar oppression forms from one oppressor; the male-dominant forces. Therefore, in the sustainability discourse, ecofeminism emerges to liberate nature and women from oppression by the patriarchal order. The movement brings illuminates the exploitation, pollution, violence, inequality, and any form of harm to the natural environment and on women, calling for social justice and dependency towards a healthier and just society. . Connection with Sustainability Women-Nature Relationship Ecofeminists believe that the integration of women in decision-making is the solution to environmental challenges facing society. Despite both the environment and women facing domination from the male order, the two share a historical relationship, which places women as experts in handling environmental matters. Cultural ecofeminists emphasize the close relationship between nature and women, who posit that the two share an empirical and natural affinity, psychologically and physiologically based on biological female rearing and fertility roles (Ling, 2014). The link between women and the environment emerges because of women’s traditional social roles as caregivers and nurturers (Zein & Setiawan, 2017; Nelson, 2015). Women are caregivers, thanks to their role in rearing and tending. This role makes women closer to nature, naturally than men, and makes nature a feminist issue in its entirety. The rearing and tending role, which society associates with women entirely, provides the basis for their close relationship with the natural world. Therefore, women surpass men and become better equipped to act as mediators between nature and humanity by having more caring ethics than their male counterparts. However, the close relationship between nature and women transcends the socially-labeled femininity values like nurturing shared by both parties. Instead, it extends to the frequent interactions between the two, compared to the male species. In the words of Vandana Shiva, the current discourse on environmental issues ignores the special connection existing between women and the natural world, a bond cemented by daily interactions (Zein & Setiawan, 2017). According to Shiva, the daily interaction with nature equips women with a wealth of “holistic and ecological knowledge of nature's processes” (Zein & Setiawan, 2017, 2). Again, here, women's traditional social roles place them at an advantage in matters related to the natural ecosystems. This connection is especially true when analyzing the lives of women and children in developing countries. Consider the livelihood of a family in modern times. Although the world has changed and more women are joining men in the job sector, many women in developed and developing countries are engaged in traditional social roles (Ling, 2014). The modern industrial society sees more male family members joining the industrial sector and leaving their families behind. Therefore, women are left to bear the traditional gendered roles, managing food security and natural resources (Ling, 2014). Their livelihoods depend on their interaction with natural ecosystems, intensifying relationships, and interconnectedness. For instance, women clear land for agriculture. They plant, weed and harvest crops for consumption by the entire family (Sullivan, 2014). They interact with water aquifers as they fetch water for their families. They collect fuelwood from forests and herbs, medicine, and other edibles. Women are responsible for domestic animals, gathering fonder for them in forests. In short, women determine the distribution of food in the homestead, which requires constant interaction with nature. The continuous interaction reinforces ecofeminists’ perspective that nature is entirely a feminine issue (Warren, 1997) and justifies the 1974 Chipko Movement in India. Starting in April 1973, communities in India protested the deforestation of the Mandal Forest (Sullivan, 2014). According to Warren (1997), the protest intensified when 27 women threatened to hug any try that loggers tried to fall. In the end, the bold move by the women saved a sensitive watershed, covering 12000 square kilometers (Warren, 1997). Consequently, the protest was...