WOMEN DESCRIBED AS VICTIMS OF ENVIRONMENE DEGRADATION AND WARRIORS TO PROTECT ENVIRONMENT

1. ECOLOGY
THROUGH
GENDERED LENS
Dr. Deepa Choozhikunnath
Asst. Prof
Dept. of Environmental Studies
NES Ratnam College of Arts,
Science &Commerce, Bhandup
(W)

2. What is Ecofeminism?
Ecofeminism, also called ecological
feminism, branch of feminism that examines
the connections between women and nature.
Its name was coined by French feminist
Françoise d’Eaubonne in 1974.
Ecofeminism adds both a commitment to
the environment and an awareness of the
associations made between women and
nature.

3. The interconnectedness between
women and nature can be traced
backed to the historical past. According
to the Samkhya system of Indian
philosophy, Prakrti or Nature has got
certain characteristics that are common
to woman-in general. Just as woman
can make a person happy, unhappy or
infactuated with her three qualities-
satta, rajas, and tamas; Prakrti is also
having such characteristics of
happiness, misery and infactuation due
to having same quality. Moreover, both
are reproductive (prasavatmika) and
creative in nature.

6. WOMEN WORSHIPPING NATURE

7. HISTORY &EVOLUTION OF
ECOFEMINISM
The modern ecofeminist
movement was born out of a series
of conferences and workshops held
in the United States by a coalition
of academic and professional
women during the late 1970s and
early 1980s.

9. According to ecofeminists, exploitation and suppression of
women predominant in the male-controlled society is very
much associated with the domination and massive
exploitation of nature by human beings. Just as the
domination of women by men is detrimental to the society, at
least morally, similarly the exploitation and domination of
nature by man is detrimental to the whole biotic community.
Thus, understanding ecofeminism, i.e., the interconnection
between women and nature helps one to comprehend the
value, dignity and the necessities of all forms of life within the
biotic community.

10. Women as
victims of
environment
degradation
Searching for firewood, carrying water and
providing minimum sustenance for the
family constitute a women's primary
responsibility and due to her participation in
the above-mentioned activities, she fails to
take part in the so-called cream activities
like decision making and income generation.
The egoist man engages himself in these
activities and thereby occupies a high status
or position within the family and
consequently within the society, thereby
making it a male dominated one. In fact,
most of the feminist issues depend largely
on the above mentioned historical and
material condition of women live.

11. It clearly indicate that over exploitation of nature and
thereby deterioration of environment are somewhat
feminist issues, and a proper understanding of the
aforesaid issue paves the way for a better
understanding of female oppression in a male
dominated society. Urbanization, industrialization,
commercialization of agriculture, massive deforestation-
all leading to environmental degradation are reflection
of advancement of science and technology which
deprive women from their original right. Rampant
felling of trees for commercialization of agriculture in
the form of cultivation of monoculture species has led
to destruction of virgin forest areas, thereby
destabilizing women's ability to maintain a subsistence
household.

12. The scientific and technological advancement in
fact "destroyed women's productivity by
removing land, water and forests from their
management and control, as well as through the
ecological destruction of soil, water and
vegetation systems so that nature’s productivity
and renewability were impaired. Many of the
ecological disasters, like the leakage of methyl
isocyanides gas from the Union Carbide Pesticides
plant in Bhopal on 3rd December 1984 and the
consequent death of around 3000 people
provoked the female force to protest against the
disastrous consequences of the so-called
advancement of science and technology
undertaken by the masculine force. According to
the feminists, it was a war against nature and
therefore against women.

13. Today's women have realized that the recent developments in
biotechnology, genetic engineering and reproductive technology whose
paradigms are essentially patriarchal are all against the reproductive
and regenerative capacities of nature and women in particular.
Degradation of the environment which is equalized with subjugation,
devaluation and demoralization of women is thus the outcome of
patriarchy or masculine domination of the society at large.

14. Women as environment warriors
The ecofeminist movement quickly gained momentum in the U.S.
Ynestra King and activist Grace Paley were among the women who
organized the “Women and Life on Earth” conference at the University
of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1980. After the success of a conference
at Sonoma State University the following year, a group of eight women
formed the first national ecofeminist organization — Woman Earth

15. Across the planet, courageous women young and old are stepping up
to make a positive difference for both gender parity and our
environment.
In celebration of International Women’s Day today, we will see some
awesomely determined lady eco-warriors doing exactly that.

16. THE UNITED KINGDOM’S
JANE GOODALL
At 86 years of age, the spirited and ever-
resilient Jane Goodall is still travelling the
world, sharing her knowledge and
wisdom. The British primatologist,
ethologist and anthropologist is
considered the world’s principal expert on
chimpanzees thanks to her study of social
and family interactions of the Kasakela
chimpanzee community in Gombe Stream
National Park in Tanzania, which she
commenced in 1960 at the age of 26.

17. KENYA’S WANGARI
MAATHAI
She founded the Green Belt
Movement, which encouraged
women to grow seedlings and plant
trees to bind the soil and store
rainwater – and she paid them for
their work. Wangari became the
first African woman to receive the
Nobel Peace Prize for her work in
2004. She died in 2011, but her
legacy lives on.

18. AUSTRALIA’S EMMA
JOHNSTON
In November 2014, Emma and her
colleagues launched the World Harbor
Project, which now has 20 cities on
board, from Jakarta to San Francisco
and Shanghai to Rio de Janeiro. Her
high-profile work is not only helping
clean up our waterways, but also
inspiring young women to consider a
career in science.

19. CANADA’S SEVERN
CULLIS-SUZUKI
At the age of nine, Severn (David Suzuki’s
daughter) founded the Environmental
Children’s Organization – a group of children
dedicated to learning and teaching youth
about environmental issues. Then, at the age
of 12, she stopped the world with her
impassioned speech to the global delegates
gathered in Rio de Janeiro for the first United
Nations Conference on Environment and
Development. Her speech went viral, and
she became a regular invitee to UN
conferences.

20. SWEDEN’S GRETA
THUNBERG
She is internationally known for challenging
world leaders to take immediate action
against climate change. Thunberg initially
gained notice for her youth and her
straightforward speaking manner, both in
public and to political leaders and assemblies,
in which she criticizes world leaders for their
failure to take what she considers sufficient
action to address the climate crisis.

21. VANDANA SHIVA
In a lifetime of environmental
activism and ‘ecofeminism’,
Vandana has rallied against
genetically modified seeds,
establishing the women-centred
Navdanya network of seed keepers
and organic producers in 18 states
across India. Together, they’ve
helped conserve more than 3000
rice varieties, created 122
community seed banks and
championed small farmers’ rights.

22. GAURA DEVI
Gaura Devi came to notice in 1974 when she was told that local loggers were cutting the trees on 25
March by a young girl. The men of Reni village had been tricked out of the village by news that the
government was going to pay out compensation for land used by the army.[1] And,on this situation,
Gaura Devi and 27 other women decided to tackle the loggers.

23. MEDHA PATKAR
Medha Patkar mobilized massive marches
and peaceful protests the construction of
India’s Sardar Sarovar Dam, which
displaced thousands of tribal peoples and
submerged vast stretches of forests and
farmland.

24. MAYILAMMA
Mayilamma (1940–2007) was an illiterate adivasi woman whose iconic
leadership of her community against the unrestrained extraction and
pollution of water by Coca-Cola put the nondescript village of
Plachimada on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border on the global map of
environmental activism.

25. SAALUMARADA
THIMMAKKA

26. JAMUNA TUDU
When she noticed trees
disappearing in the forest
nearby, she learnt that a local
timber smuggling mafia was
behind this. She gathered about
100 adivasi women from her
village to form a forest
protection group. These women
now patrol the forests around
the village carrying sticks,
arrows and bows, all ready to
fight the mafia.

28. Thank you !!!