Ecofeminism is one of the essential trends of a coherent society that includes many ideas and concepts prevalent in the modern world. For this reason, the given course can be considered an important source of knowledge that provides learners with information that is fundamental for an enhanced understanding of this phenomenon. One of the critical outtakes is that balance is a core component of nature that should be observed to guarantee that the planet will be able to evolve and recover from the pernicious impact of human activity. The ruthless exploitation of its resources, as well as the discrimination and oppression of women, becomes central reasons for the fast deterioration of the state of the environment and the health of the nation, which proves the ideas of this movement.
These assumptions can be paralleled to the beliefs of goddess mythology. In ancient times people correctly realized the importance of both these two aspects. In a significant number of cultures, females are identified with nature because of their ability to give life, protect, and care about people. Many goddesses that were created by different nations served as the embodiment of qualities critical for people, and the choice of a woman, as the character who combined them, was not accidental. They represented the balance of a person and nature, their ability to cooperate with the world and remain in harmony.
Definition
In general, ecofeminism can be determined as the belief that the domination of women and nature is the basis for the hierarchy of male and female and relations. At the same time, women and the earth are taken as the core of the natural world and its future existence. From the ecofeminist perspective, the domination of men and the exploitation of women result in the destruction of the environment and the appearance of multiple issues that deteriorate the health of the nation. For this reason, there is a critical need for finding the balance that can be achieved by the promotion of feminism and green incentives that will help to save the planet. In this regard, ecofeminism becomes a combination of these elements.
The given concept rests on various ancient mythologies and visions created by people with an attempt to describe the rules of nature and the way it works. Many created goddesses represented characteristics of the earth and its basic features. For this reason, ecofeminism becomes closely connected to goddess mythology and such recognizable images as Athena, who embodies multiple qualities such as wisdom, power, creativity, and protection. Moreover, today, the existing environmental issues can be analyzed from the perspective of women’s activism and the need for balance in relations with nature and between genders, which is one of the basic assumptions of ecofeminism. In general, the reconsideration of society’s relationship with the planet seems the most effective method that can be used to solve many environmental problems and create new positive tendencies.
Topic of Interest
Regarding these concepts, the area that is most interesting to me is climate change. It is an extremely broad concept that includes such elements as global warming, greening the planted, litter, deforestation, different kinds of pollution, and extinction of species. I think that these factors are critical for contemporary society as their further disregard might result in unrecoverable changes in nature and deterioration of the health of populations globally. It is vital to save our planet, give it to our descendants, and start the process of its recovery until it is too late. At the same time, today, people can already see the results of their unwise exploitation of natural resources and disregard critical problems. From the perspective of ecofeminism, the primary cause for these outcomes is the absence of balance in relation to nature. In patriarchal societies, power is one of the core values, which means that following this concept, humanity will continue to exploit the planet. At the same time, the wiser and more effective approach to cooperation with nature might presuppose the look for new forms that could help to avoid substantial damage to its resources. A new balance can be achieved by analyzing the most problematic climate issues from the perspective of an equal, not patriarchal, society.
That is why women, who possess a better understanding of compromise and balance because of their nature, become more active in their attempts to reconsider patterns that are used today and stop the further destruction of the planet. There are multiple sources of their growing interest in the given problem. In many cases, females are also more vulnerable to climate change and are the first to experience its negative impact. It means that they have to act, to improve their states via the protection of the planet. Moreover, being responsible for children and their upbringing, women are more concerned about the deterioration of the climate as a direct threat to the next generations.
The given question is critically important to me. I correctly realize the fact that now the planet is slowly dying because of the development of various industries and consumer society. That is why the balance is a key to solving the problems mentioned above, as the inclusion of oppressed women in the international discourse might help to add new and fresh ideas and eliminate many problematic issues in relations with nature and between genders.
Research Question
The scope of the selected area means that there is a need to narrow the research with the primary goal to investigate a particular aspect and provide clear answers that can be used as the basis for new projects. For this reason, regarding the sphere of interest, the following research question can be formulated:
What are the main sources of women’s activism around climate change, and how this relates to their oppression as women in patriarchal societies?
The theme remains broad; however, the main idea is to investigate the sources of women’s eco-activism and how it can be correlated with their oppression in patriarchal societies. The study will offer conclusions that can be used to evidence the role of ecofeminism in modern society and its positive impact on traditionally complex environmental and gender themes.
However, the given structure can be changed in the course of the research as new discovered factors or information might precondition the appearance of new ideas or directions of the study. In general, the following outline can be followed to create the paper that would be able to answer the research question mentioned above.
References
Baring, A., & Cashford, J. (1993). The myth of the goddess. Evolution of the image. New York, NY: Penguin Books.
Bolen, J. (2005). Urgent message from mother: Gather the women, save the world. York Beach, ME: Conari Press.
Greta, G. (2015). Ecofeminism and climate change. Women’s Studies International Forum, 49, 20-33.
Onwutuebe, C. J. (2019). Patriarchy and women vulnerability to adverse climate change in Nigeria. SAGE Open, 9(1). Web.
Tanjeela, M., & Rutherford, S. (2018). The Influence of gender relations on women’s involvement and experience in climate change adaptation programs in Bangladesh. SAGE Open, 8(4). Web.