Ecofeminism

Ecofeminism is a family of approaches connecting the domination of women with the exploitation of nature, and examining how gender, power, and ecological harm intersect.

Feminist theory: A body of scholarship and political thought that analyzes gendered power and seeks to end gender-based inequality. Ecofeminism extends feminist analysis to relations between human societies and the natural world.
Françoise d'Eaubonne: A French feminist writer who introduced the term “écologie-féminisme” in her 1974 book Le Féminisme ou la Mort. Her writing gave the emerging connection between feminism and ecology its name.
Nature–culture dualism: A conceptual division that treats nature and culture as separate, often ranking culture as superior and human-made. Ecofeminists examine how this hierarchy can justify both control of nature and gendered subordination.
Essentialism: The view that members of a group share fixed traits rooted in an underlying essence. Critics warn that linking women intrinsically to nature can reinforce the hierarchy ecofeminism opposes.
Chipko movement: A forest conservation movement in India, known for villagers embracing trees to resist commercial logging. Its women-led protests became a prominent example in discussions of gender, livelihood, and forest protection.
Environmental ethics: The philosophical study of moral relationships between humans, other living beings, and the environment. Ecofeminism brings questions of gender and power into ethical debates about nature.
Le Féminisme ou la Mort: A 1974 book by Françoise d'Eaubonne arguing that feminist change and ecological survival are linked. The book is a foundational statement of ecofeminism’s early political vision.
Gendered division of labor: The unequal assignment of paid and unpaid work according to gender, including care and subsistence labor. Its undervaluation can conceal the human costs of resource extraction and environmental change.
Social constructionism: The account that social categories and meanings are shaped through historical and cultural practices. It offers an alternative to explanations that treat women’s closeness to nature as innate.
Green Belt Movement: A Kenyan environmental organization founded by Wangari Maathai that mobilized women to plant trees and address community needs. Its work links ecological restoration with women’s livelihoods and political participation.

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