Towards an integrative approach to sustainability: exploring potential synergies between gender and environment

Includes bibliography.

In the midst of one of the worst economic crises the Western world has faced, governments are focusing on macroeconomic equilibrium and failing to address the economy-environment disconnect and the social components of development. The ecological degradation of our planet and its implications for human well-being necessitate a sustainable approach. Although some progress has been made since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, we have yet to adopt a development path that takes account of the way that ecosystems work or the persistent social and gender inequalities. Feminist economists have developed theoretical and methodological proposals for recognizing the value of domestic work, which could be strengthened by integrating an ecological perspective. In turn, sustainable development could be enhanced by mainstreaming the gender perspective and the ethics of care. The link between these elements is examined here, as we explore the synergies between gender and the environment and outline an integrative approach to sustainability.