Women, the environment and sustainable development: towards a theoretical synthesis

The purpose of this book is to review the debates about women in development the effects on the environment and sustainable development. The strengths weaknesses shortcomings and contradictions of various postures are indicated and an alternative framework is provided which suggests policy changes. Chapter topics are identified as the global environmental crisis and the emergence of women in development theoretical assumptions of development in the 1990s feminist critiques of science debates within feminism the shift to gender and development alternative development environmental reform and sustainability and responses to the global crisis from deep ecology social ecology and ecofeminism. Many agree that the present dominant model of development is violent and ethnocentric. The argument is presented that adapted sustainable development strategies in the North and the South must be based on locally sustainable life styles participatory democracy and recovery of dominated peoples subjugated knowledge. Development has brought with it problems such as the continued subjugation of women local power structures and the idealization of tradition. Most theoretical positions do not take into account of womens interests and needs. The challenge of the new feminist epistemologies is to incorporate the ongoing process of change and redefinition of women in cross cultural alliances into a formulation that links gender class and race. A power structure that supports a patriarchal ideology of women as close to nature and of women defined in gender distinct roles must be deconstructed. Women in development legitimizes the movement of past inequalities into mainstream development. Women must benefit from environmental projects. Feminist critiques must be incorporated into the development discourse. The proposed framework calls for very specific methodologies and policy actions. Development is a global problem and developed countries must rethink their use of the environment and are not a viable global model. The approach must assure peoples right to self-determination and not be coopted by urban middle class individuals representation of local poor populations. Gender training among development agencies is imperative. Coercive population control must be rejected.