UN data shows women account for 80% of people forced to migrate by climate change
According to the report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), forced displacement due to climate change affects more than 1% of humanity – on a planet with 7 billion people, one in 97 is forced to leave your home. According to the UN, approximately 80% of those displaced are women. Gender disparity is very large and instigates the need to understand the causes of the problem and contribute with positive changes to change this scenario. One of the answers may lie in ecofeminism, a movement that does not fully identify with traditional feminism.
The theme is debated by the indigenous Marcia Mura, from the Coletivo Mura do Porto Velho and PhD in Social History from USP. The definition of ecofeminism is the search for a paradigm shift, questioning and overcoming patriarchal structures and the exploitation of nature. The movement proposes that these changes be achieved through inclusive policies, training and education programs, as well as strengthening the role of women in communities.
Ecofeminism can be a solution, since there are several reasons that contribute to women’s vulnerability in situations of socio-environmental disasters, such as social, economic and cultural inequalities, and, as Professor Márcio Henrique Ponzilacqua, from the Faculty of Law of the USP in Ribeirão Preto, “women tend to have less access to resources, job opportunities and education, in addition to carrying the weight of domestic responsibilities”.
This combination of factors puts women at greater risk, leading to disproportionate consequences when natural disasters or climate change occur. The professor complements, stating that the lack of autonomy and the increase in gender violence also contribute to the vulnerability of women in these contexts.
The scene of violence takes shape in Ukraine’s war against Russia. Sima Bahous, director-general of UN Women, highlights that Ukrainian women are subject to gender-related risks, such as human trafficking, sexual violence and impeded access to essential services and goods. In Ukraine’s war, 90% of the 10 million displaced are women fleeing the conflict and seeking safety elsewhere.
Marcia comments that, due to the correlation between gender oppression and environmental degradation, ecofeminism proposes a new perspective, in which gender equality and environmental preservation go hand in hand. “Valuing the traditional knowledge of women, especially indigenous women, and encouraging their active participation in decision-making is crucial to face socio-environmental challenges.”
The ideas that the indigenous woman defends are inspired by ecofeminism, “which has a non-urban look and is more connected to environmental issues”. The term was first used by French writer, labor rights activist, feminist and environmentalist Françoise d`Eaubonne in 1974 and involves the relationship between science, women and nature. She advances that ecology is a feminist subject, but that the similarities between feminism and ecology have been forgotten by ecological science. And she says that “it’s no use thinking about women’s rights while the hegemonic way of life destroys the environment in which we live”.
But she clarifies that, despite considering the feminist movement legitimate, the word “feminism” does not belong to the indigenous people, given that feminism, which she calls traditional, was born in Europe, during the Industrial Revolution, in 1789, while indigenous women already fought against the European invasion 200 years before.
women in politics
For Professor Ponzilacqua, women have a lot to offer in the formulation of policies related to socio-environmental issues and should occupy high positions related to the environment: “They are transmitters of knowledge related to nature and also its protection, and, generally, because they are linked directly to family livelihoods in many societies, from collecting water for cooking and cleaning, using the land for livestock, foraging rivers and reefs and collecting firewood, women across the planet use and interact with natural resources and ecosystems better than men.
According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and other UN agencies, they are the first to feel the effects of climate change as they travel ever greater distances to find what they need to feed their families. The professor informs that the female perspective has been very little taken advantage of and recognized in society, a fact that delays the community and harms humanity.