Gender and the Environment

1714 Words7 Pages
Gender has long been recognized as important within the environment issues. Women and men interact with the environment within specific gender relations and processes concerning the use of resources. This paper seeks to discuss the notion that gender is a critical variable in understanding the processes of ecological change and environmental problems. The writer supports this notion to a greater extend, and case studies, theoretical analysis such as ecofeminism will be used to show that gender is indeed a critical variable where environmental issues are concerned. The writer acknowledges that there are gender differences evident in the use, and management of natural resources, and how processes of ecological change and environmental problems affect each other differently between men and women. There are other variables however that are important in understanding ecological changes and environmental problems like age, caste, and race. All these variables however have a gender aspect that affects each and every variable. In this paper the writer explores the production of social inequalities and environment examining how gender differences become enrolled in environmental problems and ecological change. Rodda (1991) defines gender as the attributes and opportunities associated with being male and female, and the socio-cultural relationship between men and women. These attributes and opportunities are socially constructed. Gender is enforced by custom, law and specific development policies. SARDC (2010) defines Ecological change as an alteration in the state of climate and environment over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity. Environment problems have negative effects on the sustainability of the environmental quality necessary for the well being of the living organisms living in it. Men and women are affected by
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