Eco-feminism (UPSC CSE Mains 2017 - Political Science and International Relations, Paper 1)
Ecofeminism is a movement that sees a connection between the exploitation and degradation of the natural world and the subordination and oppression of women. It emerged in the mid-1970s alongside second- wave feminism and the green movement. Ecofeminism brings together elements of the feminist and green movements, while at the same time offering a challenge to both. Ecofeminism and Status of Women Ecofeminism can help alleviate of the status of women in society.
- Ecofeminists have described a number of connections between the oppressions of women and of nature that are significant to understanding why the environment is a feminist issue, and, conversely, why feminist issues can be addressed in terms of environmental concerns. For example, Living Interconnections with Animals and Nature the way in which women and nature have been conceptualized historically in the Western int
- Connection between feminism, animal liberation, and environmentalism has been made by documenting the effects of environmental pollution and degradation on the lives of women and animals. Toxic pesticides, chemical wastes, acid rain, radiation, and other pollutants take their toll on women, women''s reproductive systems, and children.
- Ecofeminists believe that we cannot end the exploitation of nature without ending human oppression, and vice versa. To do both, they reason, we must expose the assumptions that support Patriarchy and disconnect our concept of masculinity from that of "power over" others and the rejection and denigration of the "feminine." Ecofeminist suggests that alternatives to Patriarchy are possible, as evidenced in women''s and tribal cultures.
- Ecofeminism claims that both women and nature are dominated and thus stresses the need for a more interdependent worldview. Ecofeminists believe that all living things are essential to the well being of the planet and that humans are not separate or superior.
- The term "ecofeminism" is more descriptive of a concern with cultivating an ecological ethic that goes beyond concepts of social justice alone. It has also been suggested that the prefix "eco" is a sop to those masculine- identified greens who cannot handle feminism. It strikes deeper into the core of Patriarchal reason.
In India, ecofeminist Vandana Shiva is the pioneer who prepared the ground for ecofeminism with a strong belief that women have always been the key to solve various societal problems and environmental problems are one of them.
Literature in which the concept of ecofeminism has been taken into account ranges from early ecofeminism to the recent or the urbanized one such as ‘Nectar in a Sieve’ (1954) by Kamala Markandya, ‘Fire on the Mountain’ (1977) by Anita Desai, ‘A Riversutra’ (1993) by Gita Mehta, ‘The God of Small Things’ (1997) and ‘An Atlas of Impossible Longing’ (2008) by Arundhati Roy and ‘Monkey-Man’ (2010) by Usha K.R.
Various environmental movements like Bishnoi movement, Chipko Movement, Aapiko movement, Silent valley movement and Narmada Bachao Andolan are the significant environmental movement of India that reflect the integral leadership of women.
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