"Women and the Environment Are Together": Gender Inequality in Environmental Resource Management

• In Event: 16.049 - Decolonizing Environmental Education: Equity, Indigeneity, Justice

Abstract

Although women account for almost 80 per cent of the agricultural sector in Africa, they are currently absent from decision-making processes around issues of environmental degradation and its consequences. Women’s active role in agriculture, and their dependence on renewable resources, makes them critical participants in effective environmental resource management. This paper explored through a qualitative study how gender inequality, a form of inequality that is related with but distinction from class, ethnicity, economic status, influences the environmental worldview of Kenyans. The results of the final round of analysis were: Responsibility (blame, economics), Empowerment (both lack there of and as a solution), and Cultural imbalances (exploitation, place in society).

Authors

• Cassie Fay Quigley, Clemson University

• S. Megan Che, Clemson University

• Stella Anne Achieng, University of Nairobi

• Sarah Liaram, Maasai Mara National Perserve