Historically, women bear the role of caregiver- especially to their children. This results in years and years of wome
n dropping out of the labor force, many to never enter again. For some, its a choice happily made. For others, its a pressured decision based on decades of male-centered socialization.
I pulled some great quotes to summarize a report on the relationship between gender and sustainability based on the 3 pillars of sustainability. Let me know what you think in the comments!
Economic sustainability
“United Nations and World Bank studies show that focusing on women in development assistance and poverty reduction strategies leads to faster economic growth than “gender neutral” approaches.”
Social sustainability
“It is far from proven that women are more environmentally conscientious than men as a rule. But women are more likely than men to be affected by environmental problems because of their social roles and more impoverished status in all countries.”
Environmental sustainability
“Increased costs for energy, health-care and food caused by the disrupting effects of climate change disproportionately affect women, especially single mothers.”
Universal equality of access and opportunity is a key step in sustainable development and living. So many institutional barriers exist for women, so its important to analyze their effects on the future of the earth as well.
Go women! I loved how you approached this post because so much of it rings true. I have heard of quite a few organizations that focus on empowering women as a solution to the poverty problem (Oxfam being one of the largest and most influential). I also really thought it interesting that women are more likely to be affected by environmental problems because this tied so obviously to some of our class discussions about how people living in third world countries are disproportionately affected by environmental issues; you’d think this is something that would be so obvious but I really think there’s a lack of knowledge of how the impoverished positions of women make them more susceptible to environmental changes. This has only reinforced the desire to create a more equal world by helping put power into the hands of women.
It’s upsetting to realize that women aren’t just more vulnerable because of social and economic factors, but environmental ones too. But I love how this also shows the enormous opportunities to have a huge impact on the world just by empowering women. It really shows how different kinds of sustainability are linked – social, economic, and environmental – and how complex problems like lack of gender equality require thoughtful, holistic solutions. I agree that you’ve reinforced my desire to work towards global gender equality, and it’s a great opportunity for companies to take action and see a huge impact!
We discussed in class several times the fact that people from third world countries are the ones leading the charge for sustainability since they are the ones feeling the negative effects of climate change. It only makes sense that women should be a focal point of this change. As your article pointed out, they are more vulnerable to economic, social and environmental factors. There is so much growth opportunity going to waste when women are not empowered to have leadership positions since it has already been proven that they are just as capable as men are. Gender equality is a priority when discussing any type of sustainability since it is all-encompassing.