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 life as the root of their environmental concern. On the contrary, ecofeminists who emphasize social and political perspectives think women show specific responsibilities, concerns, and interests for nature because of their gendered roles and socialization.

Differences between women's environmental activism in developing and developed countries are related to specific environmental, social, and economic contexts, as well as to the diversity of women's social roles and everyday responsibilities. In developing nations, women fight against the degradation or loss of natural resources that put the community's survival at risk. In these countries, health concerns plus security and landscape conservation are the main reasons women are called to action.

Women's capacity to influence environment-related political agendas is biased by their power inside grassroots organizations. In the case of gender-mixed grassroots groups, there is an unequal distribution of roles and power positions between men and women. By contrast, grassroots organizations dominated by female activists have linked feminist and ecological interests, bringing forth alternative analysis. In this way, women's perspectives on nature and the environment have influenced political agendas at local and international levels.