Gender mainstreaming is essential to achieving inclusive environmental governance, yet its application at the local level often encounters institutional and socio-cultural barriers. This study examines the implementation of gender mainstreaming policies and the extent of women’s participation in environmental governance in Tasikmalaya Regency, Indonesia. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, data were collected through purposive interviews, field observations, and document review, and analyzed using an interactive analysis model. The findings reveal a gap between regulatory commitments and practical implementation. Gender considerations are largely confined to formal planning documents without operational indicators, adequate budgeting, or monitoring mechanisms. Women’s participation remains concentrated in practical, community-based activities—such as household waste management and waste bank initiatives—while their involvement in strategic decision-making and environmental policy forums remains limited. Institutional capacity constraints, patriarchal norms, and weak coordination between agencies contribute to this gap. Nevertheless, local innovations such as women’s cooperatives and environmentally oriented religious boarding schools (green pesantren) indicate potential pathways for empowering women as agents of environmental sustainability. Strengthening gender-responsive budgeting, capacity-building programs, and coordinated institutional support is necessary to ensure equitable and sustainable environmental governance.
Mardiyanti et al. (Mon,) studied this question.