Gendered Backlash Towards Women Environmental Activists

This paper will explore the persistence of gendered backlash that women engaging in environmental activism face. An ecofeminist theoretical lens will be used to understand the intersection between the subjugation of women and the degradation of the environment. From there, it will engage with case studies of women who are leaders in environmental and climate movements, specifically aiming to uncover the gendered backlash that they faced and the contexts and structures producing this dynamic. The two primary case studies will be Greta Thünberg (leader of Sweden’s school strikes for climate and well-known climate activist) and Wangari Maathai (leader of Kenya’s Green Belt Movement). To do so, it will draw on a variety of previous scholarship as well as primary sources such as social media posts and news articles that demonstrate the backlash. Building on all of this, the paper will demonstrate the obstacles that women environmental activists face in order to understand how opposition to environmentalist reform manifests itself in gendered ways. It also highlights the strength of women environmental activists in overcoming such challenges to make significant positive contributions to climate and environmental action.