“Ecofeminism does not necessarily fight for the liberation of women and nature alone. "But the confiscation of living space, flora and fauna, local wisdom, indigenous communities and other social classes is also involved." – Greta Gaard –
In the last decade, we can see how industrial activities and existing policies are increasingly taking over living space. Violence against indigenous groups and environmental damage is increasingly reckless. Not surprisingly, there were many protests from various groups. Action by all means is taken to save the environment and the rights of groups affected by it are protected.
However, what is interesting about every action we see? Yes, women's involvement in the movement to save the environment is increasing. Not only women who live in cities, even those who live in villages – indigenous women – are in direct contact with conflict. What's interesting is that in the midst of a strong patriarchal culture, women are actually increasingly showing off. Believes that women are the most vulnerable group and suffer multiple levels of violence if nature and the environment are damaged.
Imagine, if commodities were lost, forests were denuded, rivers were polluted and the air was dirty. Women will experience diseases caused by chemical compounds and economic resources will be lost – if this happens, women will not be able to generate income for living and family expenses. Also, the loss of springs for drinking, bathing and other agricultural activities. Of course this has a structural impact, right?
Women who have not been fully given space to make decisions are considered incapable of being at the forefront of saving the environment. Considered as a secondary object, the impact is actually felt very large. This is reinforced in a women's journal entitled "ecofeminism as a solution for better environmental management and maintenance.” In the journal it is said, as long as women fight for the right to environmental governance, women have actually participated and helped actively. However, due to traditional discrimination and patriarchal thinking in society, women have not received their full rights. This discrimination still occurs even though the communities they are fighting for have obtained their rights to manage the environment and nature.
Women, who should be able to help manage natural resources better, rarely get equal opportunities with men. One of the reasons is the politics of motherism in the New Order era which placed women as the second person in the house. If their point of view is taken into account, then the feminist paradigm and environmentalism able to show that exploitation of nature is a consequence of patriarchal thinking. Apart from that, the ecofeminist lens is also full of struggle and resistance for the body of our homeland. So the involvement of women and the implications of ecofeminism are very important for managing and protecting the environment and nature.
So, what should ecofeminism be fighting for?
Greta Gaard, an ecofeminist from America, said that the ecofeminist movement is a branch of feminist theory, part of environmental ethics and politics. The ecofeminist struggle is realized through movements that link gender, species, environmental justice, water and food democracy, recognition of indigenous communities and local self-sufficiency. With many identities and human diversity, ecofeminism has a political commitment. Where it is impossible to save the environment without fighting for other social classes.
Issues that are usually organized by women, especially indigenous women—environmental health, traditional lands, livelihoods, independent economies and local wisdom—have been marginalized in discussions. Consider environmental problems as scientific problems, which require technological solutions. Without realizing it, it significantly changed the ideology and economy of domination, exploitation and discrimination. Ecofeminist analysis is well positioned to address these and other structural inequalities in the context of saving the environment.
Like a double-edged sword, the ecofeminism movement must be able to evaluate movements to save the environment; instead of creating a just and sustainable social order, it still marginalizes neglected communities and marginalized voices. The pedagogy eliminates all forms of oppression in thought, let alone in action.
