Women, Environment and the Economy
by Poorvi Gupta
Gender and the Economy
Gender is a socially constructed norm, which we’ve spun for thousands of years now and have attributed different characters and duties to the two genders that we accept in social, political and economic domains. However, the fundamental foundation of this idea is flawed by the fact that gender is not dichotomous anymore; it’s fluid and not polar. Consequently, we need to alter the positions that gender occupies in various areas of our world and bridge the gap that ties the capitalistic and patriarchal notions together in a symbiotic relationship.
Another reason to look at our economy with the cross-sectional view of gender is that the failure to take into account gender based differences in economic behaviour and markets could lead to the formulation of ineffective strategies and policies. Women and men are differently, often unequally, positioned in the economy, expected to perform different socially determined responsibilities, and face different constraints.
Looking at the gender dimensions of globalization is essential for promoting a ‘fair globalization’, one that creates opportunities for all, does not worsen existing problems of inequality within and between nations, and enables men and women to meet their aspirations in all spheres of life, be it economic and material things, democratic participation or natural prosperity of the environment.
The most obvious reason for addressing gender issues is that women workers make up a huge portion, almost overwhelming majority of the workforces of labour-intensive industries in developing countries, health care and educational sector, and tend to be concentrated in the most vulnerable jobs of the world, getting a nominal wage, just enough to survive, that too less than the men who work for the same hours.
According to UN Women, worldwide, women only make 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. As a result, there’s a lifetime of income inequality between men and women and more women are retiring into poverty. This lingering and obstinate inequality in the average wages between men and women persists in all countries and across all sectors, because women’s work is under-valued and women tend to be concentrated in different jobs than men, because of the social constriction of gender roles that are conveniently laid out by our patriarchal system.
Even though the work may require equal or more effort and skills, it’s valued and remunerated less for a lot of reasons, tried to justify sometimes by the biological and physiological differences in the two genders. According to Simone de Beauvoir, a second wave feminist, man is considered the default, while woman is considered the "Other". Thus humanity is male and man defines woman not herself but as relative to him. This can be traced to the everyday discrimination women face, as the “other” gender, not only in an economic capacity, but social, political, sexual, cultural and psychological.
For women, sometimes the struggle is not only against discrimination based on sex, but often also based on colour, caste, creed etc. Thus, they are doubly oppressed and are treated like double minorities too. In fact, immigrant women and mothers also face the same discrimination just because of their social or maternal status, thus widening the gap all the more so. The so-called ‘motherhood penalty’ pushes women into informal economy, casual and part-time work, underpaid jobs with rigid working hours and tends to be larger in developing countries than in developed countries.
Eco-feminism
Women, aren’t the only victims of this inequality, it is our environment too, because, patriarchy is hard on anything and everything that it can find to subjugate. Gender equality and environmental sustainability are two sides of the same coin - both women and the environment are undervalued in our global systems and economies. And both are very essential elements of our world, if we are to see a changeover to more inclusive and sustainable economy. This is what was termed as ‘Eco-feminism’- a connection between the exploitation and degradation of the natural world and the subordination and oppression of women.
Political and economic developments, which depend on science and technology as the pillars of patriarchal society, are intrinsically exploitative and disregard natural laws. In recent times, monopolies and monocultures have lead to a certain masculinization of agriculture that further marginalizes the oppressed, including women.
According to the famous ecofeminist,Vandana Shiva , in agrarian societies like India, the belief is that women not only continue to be the world’s original food producers but that their model of architecture and inherent system is based on the natural system of renewability. Replacing their role with scientific methods has tampered with the ecological balance and economically destroyed the rural poor in India. While it is an accepted fact, that in a pure economic term, women’s work in the household isn’t qualified as ‘work’ that contributes to the GDP, the same perception is extended to their agricultural contribution as well. Most of the women undergo disguised unemployment. Women continue to shed sweat and hard work on their lands; however they have neither ownership nor any prospect of inheritance on the very land they tirelessly labour on.
At present, the female half of the world’s human capital is an undervalued and underutilized asset. As a group, women – and their potential contributions to economic advances, social progress and environmental protection have been marginalized. Better use of the world’s female population could increase economic growth, reduce poverty, enhance societal well-being, and help ensure sustainable development in all countries. Closing the gender gap is now a vital task at hand, for the betterment of all of humanity.
Thus, we can boil down to the fact that gender equality is good for the environment too. Women tend to have smaller ecological footprints than men and engage in more sustainable behaviours. Women and men approach environmental issues differently, and have different levels of use and control of environmental resources. In many parts of the world women’s extensive experience, renewable and protective instincts also make them an invaluable source of knowledge and expertise on more sustainable environmental management of our environment and economy together.
Women around the world are powerful agents of change and can play a vital role in the greening of economies. This will create a ripple effect in many domains of life, as economy isn’t independent anymore in this globalized world. What originates in the local permeates the boundaries and reaches the global. Hence, be it climate change, wars, or human rights- a fresh perspective and involvement of the so called “Other” gender could resolve ample issues, and finally we could break down wall of being the ‘The Second Sex’ and create a world where gender isn’t ranked and numbered.
Bibliography
1. UN Women - https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/csw61/equal-pay
2. International Labour Organization - http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@integration/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_100856.pdf
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