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The woman and the forest
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Gender equality illustration (Shutterstock/File)
T
he commemoration of International Women’s Day on March 8 can be the occasion to take the pulse on advances in women’s equality but also reflect on enduring challenges and conflicts: in politics, economics, civic and cultural spaces and in terms of individual affirmation and empowerment of women in society.
Equally important, this day should be a way to express our full appreciation and respect for the many contributions of women and the many valuable roles they play, whether profiled or not, including in the governance of natural resources.
Many stories of what women have traditionally been doing for the environment are yet to be told. The countless choices and decisions of women in rural areas to build the economic resilience of their families and care for the land and its resources have often been overlooked by more powerful decision makers.
Women play important ecological roles and have valuable knowledge of natural resources. Yet, their contributions are not always, nor fully, acknowledged in policy decisions, budget allocations or even conservation initiatives.
Restriction of access to resources, including financial resources, systems or customary practices that prevent women from owning land, for example, and other exclusionary governance mechanisms can adversely affect women and force them in cycles of poverty and marginalization. Neglecting the contribution of women, it is not only delaying the achievement of equality and Sustainable Development Goal 5. It is also forsaking the foundation to a more peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.
Social scientists have been talking of gendered spaces in cultures and societies. On the one hand, there are spaces where men dominate in terms of physical frequentation but also control, in some instances, exclusively.
On the other hand, there are spaces where women are the key users and decision-makers, women’s domain. Sometimes, this difference has been perceived and constructed in absolute and even unconditional ways, resulting in a seemingly negation of reality that is more nuanced, plural, with overlaps and interactions in what otherwise are largely gendered spaces.
