mainstreaming gender into poverty
eradication strategies
Statistically, women form the
overwhelming majority of the world’s poor
due to the large amount of time they spend
on economic activities that are not
remunerated in monetary terms. Women in
developing countries work 60 to 90 hours
per week. They provide three-quarters of
healthcare services. Over 75% of the food
consumed throughout Africa is produced by
women. Childcare, parental care, caring for
domestic animals and the vegetable garden,
cleaning the house and homestead, cooking:
these are all essential economic activities
that are not officially recognized as
contributing to a country’s national
product.
Women have a special relationship with
the environment. In many communities, they
are the ones who are responsible for
fetching water and fuelwood and gathering
medicinal and edible plants. When their
access to local natural resources is
hampered, they face enormous pressures in
order to feed and care for their families.
When food is not plentiful, women are more
likely to become malnourished as they focus
on ensuring that men and children have
enough to eat. Very often, women are also
excluded from political and economic
decision-making processes, leading to their
marginalization and impoverishment.
Friends of the Earth International
believes that women must be involved in all
steps of poverty eradication and
environmental protection, from defining and
analyzing the problems to choosing and
implementing the solutions. Fortunately,
projects that put women at the forefront of
environmental protection and economic and
political decision-making are popping up
all around the world. Local women in the
Periyar Tiger Reserve in India, for
example, have learned to conserve fuelwood
and protect the valuable Sandal tree
despite needing to feed their families (see
page 41
). A Friends
of the Earth Ghana project ensures that
girls are educated about environmental
issues from a young age so that they can
escape poverty and become involved in
decision-making about natural resources
(see
page 40
).
