Ecofeminism

1
Ecofeminism

• Chapter One
• Taking Empirical Data Seriously

2
Ecofeminist Philosophical Perspective

• Trees, forests, and desertification, water and
  drought, food production, poverty and toxic waste
  and environmental issues, what is it to do with
  women?
• Ecofeminism assert that there is a connection
  between the treatment of women, people of color,
  and underclass on one hand, and the treatment of
  non-human nature on the other
• Ecological feminism claim that environmental
  ethics and feminism if they fail to take these
  connections seriously is erroneous
• Establishing women-nature connection is
  liberating for both and it is a major issue of
  Ecofeminist philosophy

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• Warren asserts that for all who are concerned to
  find solutions to the environmental destruction
  and subordination of women and other groups is to
  look at these connections in depth
• Feminism Issues
• Feminist movement is committed to the elimination
  of male-gender power and privileged.
• Hence, feminism attempt to end sexist oppression
• During this effort feminists realized that
  liberation of women could not be achieved until
  our gender identities such as women of color,
  classism, ethnocentrism, and all the other isms
  eliminated
• This means equal rights and equal pay and the
  plight of women cross-culturally
• Ecofeminism insist that none humane-nature and
  naturism (unjustified domination of nature) are
  feminist issues
• Ecofeminism is extending feminist critique of all
  oppressive domination toward others to include
  domination of nature

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• Since community life depends on sustainable
  ecology, consequently, healthy environment is
  paramount element for womens struggle
• Forests, trees, and forestry
• In 1974, twenty-seven women of Reni in north
  India took action to stop tree felling
• They threatened to hug the trees if lumberjacks
  attempt to fell them
• This movement saved twelve thousand square
  kilometers of watershed
• This women grass root movement was against
  commercial felling by contractors damages, a
  large numbers of unfelled trees
• Monoculture plantations replaces valuable
  indigenous forests
• This is one of the evidences of women-nature
  connection trees and forests are intractably
  connected to rural and household economics govern
  red by women
• As a result of first world development in India,
  multi-culture species have been replaced
  monoculture tress

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• Women oppose monoculture development in favor of
  natural multi-cultural forestry
• In developing countries, women are more dependent
  on forests products
• Forest tress provide a numerous essential
  products for women food, fuel, fodder, building
  materials and products, household utensils,
  gardens, and others
• Women are first who suffer from environmental
  degradation and forest resources depilation
• Women now must walk longer for fuel wood, fodder
  and food, some walk seven hours to obtain fire
  wood
• Since more and more migrate to cities seeking
  employment, women must carry out mens jobs in
  addition to their own
• Degraded soils makes harder for women to continue
  their peasantry work and farming
• This is in addition to the reduction of forest
  products as a source of income, which leaves
  women without income producing means
• Women also face customs, taboos, and other
  constraints which limit their possibilities of
  earning income activities

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• Women also are concerned about environment
  because they are the insiders, the best who know
  and understand their natural surrounding a
  epistemic privilege around forestry production
  because local women are the primary users of
  forest products
• Women develop their knowledge out of their daily
  felt and lived experiences for generations
• The invisibility of womens role in forestry
  management and maintenance is the gender-biased
  misconception
• Women see forestry as a source to provide for
  basketry, dyes, medicines, decorations, arts and
  crafts, trees for honey barrels to provide shade
  for other plants, tress for food, multicultural
  trees are useful for both men's and women's needs
  of different purposes
• Orthodox forestry is that, it is better to have
  large scale production using a limited number of
  tree species than small-scale, community based
  forestry using wide variety of species
• Multicultural forestry is responsive to community
  needs and reflect local priorities hence,
  monoculture development threaten the lively hood
  and well being of women

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• Water 8 of water is fresh, millions of people
  are having difficulties getting water for their
  survival
• 50 of developing countries only have potable
  water facilities, 85 of all diseases in the
  southern hemisphere are due to inadequate water
• 25 million deaths a year is the result to
  water-related illnesses, 15 millions are children
• Women and children perform most of
  water-collection work
• Contaminated water and hazard wastes are the
  major health issues in the heavily industrialized
  areas, 250 dump sites present a great potential
  health threat
• One in six persons in USA drink contaminated
  water
• Hence, water is an Ecofeminist issue

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• Food and Farming
• Women farmers grow 59 of worlds foods and in
  some cases 80
• One third to one half of Third World farmers are
  women, yet, gender division of labor puts men in
  charge of cash-crops while women manage
  food-crops
• Women in Africa produce 70 of food
• Women work longer hours with fewer assets than
  men and have limited access to credits
• This in addition to limited access for weeding,
  harvesting, and storing facilities this is due to
  lack of ownership and decision making power

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• Technology usually exported from north to south,
  all these regions have exasperated problems of
  trees, water, and food storage for women
• Men in the other hand, are the primary recipients
  of tools and training in commodity production
• This while women are more knowledgeable than
  outsider men
• Although women are major food producers, men are
  recipients of all the training and access to
  machines, tractors, ploughs, irrigations systems,
  and water pumps

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• Toxins there is gender-related difference in
  reactions to environmental toxic substance which
  pose serious health threats to mothers, infants,
  and elderly
• Environmental Racism in USA, American woman face
  unique health risks due to Uranium Mining near
  reservations 38 of pregnant women suffer
  miscarriages with high rate of birth defects
  including bone cancer
• 2 million tons of Uranium wastes dumped on Native
  American lands
• Reservations are also targeted for hazardous
  wastes incinerations, disposal and storage
  facilities

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• The same study of Toxic Wastes and Race concluded
  that more than 15 million of African American and
  over 8 million Hispanic and ½ of American Indians
  live in communities with uncontrolled toxic waste
  sites
• Low-income minority women today lead hundreds of
  grass-roots environmental organizations and are
  involved in radical environmental activities
  motivated by the irrationalities of capital
  growth in order to protect their families and
  communities health and well being
• Environmental ageism 8 million children are
  affected by lead poisoning of inner-city are
  largely African American and Hispanic children
  who live in crumbling asbestos infected housing
  and schools
• 700 thousand children suffer from lead poisoning
  and learning disabilities

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• Ecofeminism and Poverty 78 of people living in
  poverty living in USA are women and children as a
  direct result of deforestations and
  desertification, the primary victims are women
  and children who live under the poverty standard
• Sexist-Naturist Language our language reflects
  our conception of inferior value of women and
  nature
• Women as chicks, beavers, bitches, seen as
  inferior to human at the same time feminizing
  nature in patriarchal culture women viewed s
  subordinate reinforces domination of nature
• Consequently exploitation of women is justified
  by naturizing them
• Taking Empirical Seriously
• Empirical data provided by Ecofeminism are
  significant and suggest the following
• 1) The historical and causal ways of
  environmental destruction disproportion ally
  affects women and children
• 2) The significant constructed invisibility
  especially about what women know about nature in
  policy-making affects womens livelihood and
  ecological sustainability

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• 3) Methodological neglecting and overlooking
  issues about gender, race, class, and age in
  formulating environmental policies are
  detrimental to women and children
• 4) To safeguard against unintentional rationality
  which sanctioned or perpetuate environmental
  activities with adverse effects on women,
  children, people of color, and the poor
• 5) Women grass-root organizations to advocate for
  women and environment
• 6) Ethical significance of empirical data for
  theories about women, people of color, children,
  and nature)
• 7) Ecofeminist insights are crucial for policy
  making and philosophical framework
• 8) Linguistic and symbolic significance of
  language used to conceptualize and describe women
  and non-human nature
• 9) Why one from Ecofeminist perspective should
  take empirical conclusions between women, people
  of color, children, and nature