Women play a vital role in environmental sustainability but often lack equal opportunities and participation in decision making. They constitute half the world's population but do two-thirds of the work and earn only one-tenth of the income, owning just one percent of property. As primary caregivers and managers of resources, women are in a unique position to improve human and economic well-being but their needs are often not prioritized, denying them equal access to education, healthcare, land, and political power. Without opportunities for education and economic self-sufficiency, many women remain trapped in poverty, posing barriers to environmental sustainability.

1. WOMEN AND THE SUSTAINABLE
MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENT

2. INTRODUCTION
• Development affects people in different parts of the world in
different ways. It also affects people differently, depending whether
they are male or female. Being aware of this, and taking it into
account in development planning and action is known today as
practicing a ‘gender perspective’.
• Generally speaking, there have been a number of improvements to
women’s lives in the past twenty years. For example, female life
expectancy is increasing; more girls are going to school; more
women are in the paid workforce; and, many countries have
introduced laws to protect women’s rights. However, the gender
divide remains. There has been “no breakthrough in women’s
participation in decision-making processes and little progress in
legislation in favour of women’s rights to own land and other
property”, according to Mr. Kofi Annan, in his role as Secretary
General of the United Nations.

3. HOLDING UP HALF THE SKY
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Women constitute one half of the world’s population,
they do two-thirds of the world’s work,
they earn one tenth of the world’s income and
they own one hundredth of the world’s property including land.
Source: United Nations (1979) State of the World’s Women, Voulntary Fund for the UN Decade for
Women, New York.
Women have always been – and remain – the deciding influence on the quality of life and wellbeing of their families and communities. They are the primary care-givers and the managers of
natural resources, including food, shelter and consumption of goods, in most cultures. In addition,
many women also have jobs and have careers in the formal economy.
Women’s responsibilities place them in a unique position to improve human and economic wellbeing, and to conserve and maintain the natural environment. Yet, their needs, their work and their
voices are often not considered a priority. As a result, women in many countries do not have equal
access to education, health care, employment, land, credit, technology or political power.
The general failure to provide equal opportunities for women to pursue education and economic
self-sufficiency has meant that a disproportionate number of women are poor. Without adequate
education, many are stuck in low-paying, low-status jobs – if they are able to work outside the
home at all. These social barriers – exclusion, low status and poverty – are also barriers to a
sustainable future.