Women’s Representation in Politics

by Havann Brown

*Photo obtained from Google

Political representation is crucial to success, and America has been making strides towards gender parity. But did you know that the U.S. ranks 72 for women’s representation in politics in the world? The U.S. is currently tied with the Dominican Republic. Rwanda sits at the number one spot, followed by Cuba and Nicaragua. 

Women in America have been fighting for representation for many, many years. 1920 may have been the year women earned the right to vote, but women of color weren’t able to exercise their right to vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed. 

Fast forward to modern-day, women historically have higher voter turnout rates than men, and more women are running for office each year. 

Currently, 145 women hold voting seats in Congress. Women in the House (121) and the Senate (24) combine to form about 27% of the legislative branch. That’s a historic number—yet far short of equality in a country where women make up 51% of the population.

Rep. Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to serve in Congress, put it succinctly: “We’re half the people,” she said. “We should be half the Congress.”

There is still much work to be done to reach equal representation. While there is a record number of women currently in Congress, only about 390 women have served in total, which is about 3% of all members, according to the Center for American Women in Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University. Even now, there are significant disparities across the political spectrum:

• About 31% of state lawmakers nationwide are women, or about 2,297 people, according to CAWP.
• About 18% of America’s state governors are women, meaning 9 of 50. America has never elected a Black female governor, though candidates are running in six states this year.
• In the 100 most populated U.S. cities, only 31% have a woman serving as mayor, according to CAWP. Among the roughly 1,620 cities with more than 30,000 residents, the percentage falls to 25%.

Politics are personal and affect all of us every single day. Pay equity, menstrual equity, paid parental leave and voting rights are just a few of the issues that our government determines. When women are part of the political process, they bring diverse and insightful leadership that helps communities thrive. Women in politics have championed and continue to champion policies that help low-income families, programs that help parents with childcare assistance, etc. 

Earth Day 2022: Climate & Gender Justice

by Havann Brown

*Photo obtained from Google

Each year, April 22nd marks the anniversary of Earth Day. This event began in 1970 to talk about environmental concerns, protest all the harm being done to our planet, and promote conservational efforts. As we look towards Earth Day 2022, pay special attention to the intersection of climate and gender justice.

The impacts of climate change worldwide disproportionately impact women, from water accessibility to increased violence in the wake of natural disasters. The consequences of human damage to our planet are felt worst by women and girls, and can lead to health problems, victimization, and long-lasting economic and environmental problems for entire nations.

Additionally, women make up 70% of the global population living in poverty. Global warming places millions of people at risk of displacement through rising sea levels and extreme weather events — a staggering 80 percent of whom are women. Climate change severely impacts the agricultural industry, and in developing countries, women are responsible for producing 60% to 80% of the food. Climate change-related extreme weather events are also associated with more significant risks of low birth weight and preterm births.

With women disproportionately carrying the burden of climate change, it should come as no surprise that they are also more likely to recognize the dangers of climate change.

According to a 2020 report by the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) and the Sierra Club, 53% of women, compared to 45% of men, believe the climate crisis is currently harming the United States. 

As we celebrate Earth Day this year, consider adding a gender lens to your consideration of climate justice. There is no climate justice without gender justice.

Indigenous Women & Climate Change

by Havann Brown

*Image obtained from Google

To halt the climate breakdown, the world has to change the way it manages its land immediately, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. To achieve this, countries must recognize the outsize role indigenous peoples — particularly women — play in conservation.

Though they account for only 5 percent of the world’s population, indigenous peoples use or manage more than a quarter of Earth’s surface and protect 80 percent of global biodiversity. They manage 35 percent of intact forests and at least a quarter of above-ground carbon in tropical forests. Overall, indigenous-managed lands show less species decline and pollution, and more well-managed natural resources.

Unfortunately, this fundamental relationship with the natural world also makes indigenous peoples acutely vulnerable to deforestation and the impacts of climate change.

Indigenous peoples across the US have long organized to protest the hazardous waste contaminating their lands by nuclear test sites, uranium, coal, gas, oil development, and toxic waste dumping. These extractive energy practices, primarily benefiting non-Native populations, have been linked to high rates of cancer, kidney problems, lung disease, asthma, and heart and vision problems of Native people, all associated with land, water, and air pollution.

Additionally, Native women are further impacted by this type of environmental racism, as Native women and children have high rates of contaminants in their bloodstreams and are affected by congenital disabilities, miscarriages, and reproductive organ cancers. More recently, Native women have been the target of violent exploitation and sexualization (especially by Non-Native men) near natural resource extraction sites.

Native American women are on the frontlines of numerous struggles to protect and save the environment. They lead resistance to mining operations, clearcutting, dam projects, and toxic and nuclear waste dumps. Yet, their underfunded and mostly volunteer efforts barely make the news, reflecting the more significant invisibility of indigenous peoples.

“Indigenous women are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis — and they are powerful agents in the fight to halt it,” said President of Conservation International Jennifer Morris. “A critical step to protecting nature — to protecting the planet — is elevating the rights and roles of the world’s indigenous peoples, especially women.”

What is Ecofeminism?

by Havann Brown

*Image obtained from Google

Ecofeminism or ecological feminism is a branch of feminism that looks at the connections between the oppression of women and the domination of nature.

French feminist Françoise d’Eaubonne first coined the term ecofeminism in 1974 in her book, “Le Féminisme ou la Mort,” where she argued that Western patriarchal oppression, domination, exploitation, and colonialization had caused irreversible environmental damage. Following this text came several essential ecofeminist texts, including Susan Griffin’s “Women and Nature,” Mary Daly’s “Gyn/Ecology” (both in 1978), and Carolyn Merchant’s “The Death of Nature” in 1980.

Ecofeminists believe there is a direct relationship between the serious environmental damage done to the earth and the repression of women. Through the analysis of this relationship, ecofeminism creates a unique focus on matters of environmental justice, for instance, how climate change disproportionately affects women more than men around the world.

As a movement, ecofeminism emerged as the natural culmination of the various social movements of the late 70s and early 80s: the feminist, peace, and ecology movements.

The first ecofeminism conference was held in the U.S. in 1980. “Women and Life on Earth: A Conference on Eco-Feminism in the 80s” was organized following the accident at Three Mile Island, a nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. Six hundred women were in attendance.

Activist Ynestra King, one of the conference organizers, wrote about her belief that the “devastation of the earth” by corporations and the “threat of nuclear annihilation” by various militaries were a result of the “same masculinist mentality” that denies women the right to their own bodies and their sexuality.

Today, the popularity of ecofeminism has largely faded. However, the concepts behind the framework can still be applied to understand why elevating women can intersect with achieving equitable sustainability targets and have such a measurable effect on mitigating environmental impacts.

Ecofeminist Actions You Can Take:

• Read books by ecofeminist scholars.
• Support global feminist organizations such as the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) which advocates for human rights, gender equality, and climate justice; the Women’s Earth Alliance which catalyzes women-led grassroots solutions for the environment; Women’s Voices for the Earth that amplifies women’s voices to eliminate chemicals harmful to women’s health.
• Support national women’s groups, such as Silent Spring Institute and Breast Cancer Action, that bring a feminist environmental perspective to all aspects of breast cancer research and prevention, from corporate profits to environmental contamination to “pinkwashing.”
• Shop sustainably and research whether the companies you support are helping or hurting the environment.