Environmentalist Rachel Carson said, “Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species — man — acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world.” This quote ties in nicely with the subject of patriarchy (gender bias, androcentrism) and the environment, or rather, how the ill treatment of women correlates with environmental degradation. While Carson used “man” to refer to all of modern humanity, in reality, as last Friday’s lecture confirmed, it is the patriarchal structure of our society that has industrialized and polluted the globe, and that will leave more women than men affected by climate change. In rural communities, resources are “gendered”; women make up the largest percentage of the poor; and the “gentle sex” is still undervalued and discriminated against, and thereby less likely to influence policy.
Women, in general, are domestic laborers. In lesser developed countries, resources are managed by rural populations, specifically women. The ladies of a community have managed seeds and natural resources for generations, and mainly allot them for home use and for sale. When a corporation buys the land a people have been managing for centuries, it also steals years’ worth of respect, knowledge, and value from women. A small community that relies heavily upon a resource, such as timber for fuel and income, will be adversely impacted by the sudden privatization and loss of an important commodity. Also, since global warming will affect everything from crops to water levels, resources are bound to become even more scarce and precarious. It seems to be a direct hit upon women whenever male-dominated industry (one in which the majority of CEOs and shareholders are men) privatizes a rural lifeline for “productive” use, as in women managing it was not productive before. And what happens when the industry moves out of the area after depleting the resources? Who is to compensate or help the wronged natives? This situation strips women of their ability to feed their families, generate money for their community, and be of overall value as “secondary citizens.”
Next, because women account for about seventy percent of the poor, they will be deeply affected as climate change negatively impacts lower-income demographics. The underprivileged are more likely to be poorly affected by global warming since they have less ability to escape natural disasters, have limited access to food as in developed countries, and usually don’t have capital to move to a safer area or invest in technology. On top of the aforementioned limitations of the poor, women have the added burdens of subjection to husbands and familial responsibility, and will thereby bear the brunt of climate change. From my perspective, women were essentially put in danger of droughts and food scarcity, rising sea levels and floods, etc. by male-dominated multinational, polluting, resource-intensive corporations that have little regard for damages to the people or the environment they exploit, for the only concern is profit profit profit.
Last, women are still viewed as less than men. It seems to me that the “women have smaller brains” school of thought is still around today, even if it resides in one’s subconscious. It is a fact that women sometimes are paid less than men for performing the same job, and not in instances of educational backgrounds. More women than men are now attending institutions of higher education, so why aren’t women viewed as complete equals yet? I am currently referring to women in developed countries who are privileged enough to receive an education or have a quality job. Women in developing countries are another story all together. How can a woman without schooling or monetary influence ever be heard by a state legislature, or even a community council? Women especially should be heard about their opinion/solutions/concerns regarding climate change, for they will be the most affected by it. If industry and the machine that controls lobbyists and politics were dominated by women, I’m sure much more care would be taken to hear out and protect women around the world.
In conclusion, women experience discrimination across the globe, whether small or large. The patriarchal structure of the world has demeaned women as industry, and its male subjects, reigned King. Women’s ancient jobs as community resource managers are stripped from them each time a corporation privatizes a resource, including their abilities to provide for families and local economies; women will be more affected by a warming world than men for they compose seventy percent of the poor; and women have a tough time making themselves heard since they are generally viewed as “second-class” citizens, usually formally uneducated, and typically financially lacking. Hopefully, females learn how to exert some influence on climate change legislation, spread the sustainability movement, and rid industry of environmental and social malpractices.
