Environmental Activism, Grassroots

Women's participation in grassroots environmental movements is well documented worldwide. In 1974, author Françoise d'Eaubonne used the term dcofeminism for the first time in her book “Le féminisme ou la Mort!” In it, she called attention to a specific relationship women have with nature and their potential to foster an ecological revolution. After she established the concept of ecofeminism, it became the name of a theoretical branch of feminist theory that defends the existence of a female-specific concern for the environment.

Ecofeminism puts emphasis on the role women play in protecting nature and the environment via grassroots movements worldwide. The role of women in grassroots activism has been an issue of debate in ecofeminism circles. Essentialist interpretations consider women's capacity to produce and maintain ...