Gender and Environmental Justice

Ecofeminism à la Française

French ecofeminism has developed distinctive characteristics, influenced by republican feminism's universalist tendencies while increasingly embracing intersectional approaches. Françoise d'Eaubonne, who coined "ecofeminism" in 1974, connected patriarchal domination of women and nature, inspiring generations of feminist environmentalists.

Contemporary ecofeminists like Émilie Hache argue for recognizing how environmental destruction particularly affects women, especially poor women of color. Women often bear primary responsibility for securing water, food, and fuel for families, making them vulnerable to resource depletion. They also face disproportionate exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals affecting reproductive health.

Vandana Narayanan, president of Femmes Solidaires, connects environmental and gender justice: "Women in popular neighborhoods organize community gardens not as hobby but as survival strategy. They know industrial food makes their families sick. This is environmental activism even if they don't use that language."

Maternal Activism

Mothers have emerged as powerful environmental advocates, particularly around children's health. The collective Cantine Sans Plastique (Plastic-Free Canteen) mobilizes parents demanding elimination of plastic containers in school cafeterias. What began as middle-class concern has expanded to include working-class and immigrant mothers through conscious organizing.

In contaminated industrial regions, mothers document children's illnesses, forcing authorities to acknowledge pollution's health impacts. The Mothers of Montreuil fought for years to close a polluting factory near schools, combining scientific data with emotional testimony about children's suffering.

This maternal activism challenges gendered divisions between emotional and rational discourse. By centering children's bodies and lived experiences, mothers make environmental abstractions concrete and urgent.