IIED WORKSHOP: GENDER AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, London, 17-18 March 2014

GENDER IN ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE – nine myths, processes and power relations

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Irene Dankelman 17 March 2014 IRDANA / University of Nijmegen,

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Myths – processes – power relations

Myth 1: Comments

Environmental Change = Climate Change

Broad spectrum of - slow-onset and sudden - environmental changes.

Climate change tends to increase existing changes.

Dominant, but not only socio-ecological challenge.

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Myths – processes – power relations

Myth 2 Comments

Climate change is gender-neutral – affecting men and women (in different locations) equally.

Power dimensions and related societal positions and interactions very much shape how CC is created, how it impacts and how it is prevented and remedied.

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Myths - processes – power relations

Myth 4 Comments

Gender in CC should focus on women’s positions.

Men’s positions are as/also important.

And certainly power relations between men and women - in their specific contexts.

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Myths - processes – power relations

Myth 3 Comments

Women have a special relationship with Nature.

Not their sex determines differences in relationship between women and men and their physical environment, but their societal roles.

Women’s reproductive roles important factor.

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Myths - processes – power relations

Myth 5 Comments

Global sisterhood as important motivator.

Neglects issues of power between women and women’s politics: who dominates and who is silenced?

Who speaks for whom?

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Myths - processes – power relations

Myth 6 Comments

Climate change policies and actions automatically work out positively for gender equality.

Seldom win-win situations!

CC policies/actions if not (also) aimed at enhancing gender equality, tend to increase existing inequalities.

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Myths - processes – power relations

Myth 7 Comments

Gender most important social differentiator in the context of climate change.

There are many other relevant (contemporary) differentiators, such as social status, class, caste, age, ethnicity, health.

Need for intersectionality. Gender approach eye-

opener for other social differentiators.

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Myths - processes – power relations

Myth 8 Comments

Enhancing gender equality crucial for efficiency of CC policies, instruments and actions.

Enhancing gender equality and women’s empowerment is aim at its own (human right) and not (only) instrumental towards environmental cause.

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Myths - processes – power relations

Myth 9 Comments

Partipation of equal numbers of women in CC decision-making is the best step to make policies and actions gender-sensitive.

Certainly not the only (and best) step, as it is important to unpack underlying causes of inequalities.

Address: social exclusion, lack of access to and control over resources, lack of assets (incl. control over technologies) and (economic) opportunities (incl. incomes).

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From: Action Aid Bangladesh

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Myths - processes – power relations

MANY REMAINING ISSUES – DILEMMA’s

Vulnerabilities – Capacities Adaptation – Mitigation Coping mechanisms - Adaptation Public – Private Sector SD – Greenwashing CCA – DRR Global policies – Local livelihoods etc etc etc

THANK YOU!

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