Even as pollution levels reach critically high rates, India remains lagging in its efforts to battle environmental degradation. The discourse surrounding environmentalism would be incomplete without including an analysis of the role that women can play in ecological conservation. Researchers like Dashe (1991, as cited by Aditya 2016) contended that a gendered analysis was necessary to ensure the success of environmental management programs. This aim of this essay is to analyze the instrumental role that women, primarily those that are rural based, play in environmental management and conservation. It identifies obstacles that may prevent these women, from adopting adequate measures to conserve the environment and suggests ways in which the relationship between feminism and environmentalism can be taken forward at the grass-roots level.
The concept of ecofeminism is not novel inception. French feminist author, Françoise d´Eaubonne first coined the term in 1974. She contended that the root cause of rapidly degenerating nature was the patriarchal structure of society. Patriarchy led to the domination of women’s bodies and the environment by men, leading to overpopulation and denigration of natural resources (“Françoise d´Eaubonne’s Le Féminisme ou la Mort | Environment & Society Portal”, n.d.). Since she places the entire burden of the environment being destroyed entirely on male shoulders, her position may seem a bit extreme. Nonetheless, the close relationship between the domination of women and the destruction of the environment is undeniable. Since the introduction of her epistemology, significant measures have been taken to integrate the two movements.
In a panel discussion held by the United Nations, speakers noted the need for balanced representation of both genders male and female in the formation and implementation of policies aimed at environmental management. Salvano Briceno, Director, United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction noted that women were more likely to get affected in times of natural disasters. Several panellists also proposed that including women in policy-making and framing was economically profitable (United Nations: 2002). The former information can aid recuse operations in times of natural disasters, and the latter provides the government with an added incentive to include women in policy-framing.
Women have traditional knowledge, about the usage of fuelwood, storage of safe drinking water and the types of plants that can be used as indigenous medicine (Owren: 2012). Since women are intimately linked to nature deriving their sustenance from it, they are much more likely to invest in its conservation. The sexual division of labour within patriarchal societies further contributes to women’s problems. Women act as resource managers for their family, particularly in the domain of food. They are responsible for feeding all the members of their kin group, including children and the elderly. (ibid.) This means that they are involved in the production and distribution of food. Since climate change adversely affects agriculture, leading to an increase in food insecurity, her autonomy in making decisions pertaining to resource allocation may get compromised.
Patrilineal norms act as a barrier to the complete integration of women in the protection and conservation of the environment. For instance, while women may be involved in agriculture, they do not have direct control over land. This disrupts her course to empowerment. (ibid.) Thus, while she is actively involved in producing resources, unequal access to land renders her subjugated in taking adequate measures to conserve the land. Within the context of India, it was found that owning assets by women led to positive results in child survival, nutrition and health (Agarwal: 2018).
Ecofeminism tends to take women as a generalised category. Stratification of society may require that those women, who are owing to so-called lower caste status or suffering from poverty may need greater attention while planning eco-feminist models. For instance, Bina Agarwal (1972) contended that tribal women who were responsible for fetching fodder from the forest and poor women had a higher dependency on rivers, forests to fulfil their basic needs. Also, they lack facilities like tube wells that provide drinking water and aid irrigation. This renders them vulnerable to environmental degradation.
Within India, ecofeminist endeavours have been mostly successful. Women have showcased their ability as active participants in conserving the environment. The most famous of these has been the Chipko movement of 1973. Not only did it manage to secure its aim of protecting and conserving the forests but also improved women’s status in society by allowing them to demonstrate their ability to conserve the environment (Indian Express: 2018).
Women have contributed towards environmental protection at an individual level as well. An example is a case of “Kinkari Devi vs. State of Himachal Pradesh. She wanted the state to stop its excavation of limestone as it led to environmental degradation by affecting forests, wildlife, and land and water resources. She succeeded, and the court directed that all mining operations within the area needed to be shut down. (Devi: 1994) However, this route is only available to a limited section as legal battles can just be fought by those women who are aware of their legal rights and wield financial resources to hire adept lawyers to fight their case.
Navdanya movement is an excellent example of an inclusive ecofeminist movement that was successful in improving conditions of women at the grass-root level, while simultaneously conserving the environment. These instances bring to light critical lessons for Indian policymakers. Firstly, it showcases the need to include local communities while making decisions about “development.” Secondly, to frame and implement policies aimed at environmental conservation successfully, local women’s suggestions and support could prove to be an asset.
It is not that women’s role in conserving the environment has gone unrecognized. The government allocated 30 per cent of the budget to women beneficiaries in all schemes (Sally 2018). While policies are framed to benefit women, these are only surface level solutions. They failed to involve women while framing the policy. These are surface level solutions that ignore the stratification that exists within grass-roots. As mentioned earlier, these societies tend to be highly stratified and therefore a blanket solution may not be a viable option. One way to include women in policy framing would be to employ them as consultants. Consulting women, while policies are being framed, would facilitate policymakers as they would be adequately informed regarding areas that may require special attention or practical considerations that theoretical knowledge may not adequately inform them about. It would facilitate implementation as the target group would already be aware of what the policy entails. Also, giving women a voice in policy framing would increase their status in society, as they would be viewed as citizens capable of taking important political decisions. Another would be to use them as agents of the state to carry out measures against environmental degradation. Acting as agents for the state gives them a political voice and increases acceptance of their equality.
Due to the phenomena of seasonal migration, men often move to other places in search of work. Since women are more likely to stay in the village for long, using them as state agents to carry out tasks is more practical.
Ecological conservation can also be facilitated if women are given greater rights, such as landowning. If women own the land that they work on then, they can exercise autonomy in making environmentally conscious decisions about how the land has to be tilled. Another crucial way is to increase awareness of rights and laws that benefit women and the environment. The state should put in more significant investment in educating women. Educating women regarding modern methods and sophisticated technology would also aid the conservation of the environment. It should be made part of the curriculum at the local level. Empowerment of women and conservation of environment are intimately linked to each other, and therefore, using an inclusive model of ecofeminism can lead to the creation of an indeed developed society.
In conclusion, it is essential to consistently review policies that are made for the welfare of the population. If policies are reviewed periodically, then they can be modified to overcome contemporary challenges. This would be faster than framing a new policy. While analyzing policies made by the government, it is crucial to research what the policy entails, what it delivers and its process of framing. If this is taken into consideration, then a majority of shortcomings can be easily avoided, and policies can easily implement meaningful development.
REFERENCES
- Agarwal, B. (1992). The Gender and Environment Debate: Lessons from India.Feminist Studies, 18(1), 119. doi: 10.2307/3178217
- Agarwal, B. (2018). She is the answer.The Indian Express. Retrieved from https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/she-is-the-answer-sustainable-development-agricultural-census-farmers-5485645/
- Aditya SK (2016). Role of Women in Environmental Conservation. Inter. J. Polit. Sci. Develop. 4(4): 140-145
- Devi, V. (1994). Women in environmental protection. Colombo.
- Indian Express. (2018). What is the Chipko movement? Retrieved from https://indianexpress.com/article/what-is/what-is-the-chipko-movement-google-doodle-5111644/
- K, J. (2015).Women are taking care of trees planted in honour of the girl child in Piplantri village of Rajasthan in India. [Image]. Retrieved from https://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1430260/piplantri3.jpg?w=700&e=d8f22ecac504108fa6d66c20e7aca553
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- Owren, C. (2012).Global Women’s Issues: Women in the World Today, extended version [Ebook] (pp. 150-152). BCcampus.
- Sally, M. (2018). Economic Survey: Emphasis on women farmers for rural transformation Read more at//economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/62693042.cms?from=mdr&utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst.The Economic Times. Retrieved from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/economic-survey-emphasis-on-women-farmers-for-rural-transformation/articleshow/62693042.cms?from=mdr
- United Nations. (2002).Importance of Women’s Participation in Protecting Environment Stressed, As Women’s Commission Holds Second Expert Panel Discussion. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/press/en/2002/WOM1325.doc.htm