Feminism

"Feminism, and feminist social movements, identify patriarchal power as a fundamental source of injustice and inequality, and hence call to transform gender power relations in all domains." -Rudo Chigudu, Beautiful Trouble

Effective and inclusive feminism adopts an intersectional analysis. It must therefore be anti-racist, decolonial, anti-homophobic, anti-transphobic and against other forms of oppressions that oppress persons, with a particular emphasis on those most negatively impacted by, and who do not benefit from, the patriarchy (this being those who do not identify as cisgender males).

"If feminism is about defending women's [and non-binary, intersex, two-spirit and many other gender identities that are not 'male'] rights and equality, intersectional feminism is about understanding how women's [and non-binary, intersex, two-spirit and many other gender identities that are not 'male'] overlapping identities - including race, class, ethnicity , religion and sexual orientation - influence how they experience oppression and discrimination.

In terms of privilege, a white woman is penalized by her gender, but has the advantage of her racialized identity. A black woman is disadvantaged by both her gender and her racialized identity. A Latino lesbian woman is discriminated against because of her ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation .” -Alia E. Dastagir, USA Today

Understanding why feminism is climate justice

Livelihoods of women in the Global South	Women in the global south are often main caregivers of agricultural lands and responsible for providing food and water for the communities. This makes them more vulnerable to effects of climate change, such as droughts and extreme weather.
Violence and health consequences as climate migrants	Climate change causes communities to be forced to move to new areas. Women are more susceptible to gender-based violence in these situations, such as conflict-related sexual violence, humans trafficking, and child marriage. Women also experience unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections due to loss of access to sexual and reproductive health services.
MMIWGT2S crisis links resource extraction	Deadly violence and sexual assault towards Indigenous women, girls, trans and two-spirit people occurs at high rates in communities located near resource development projects. See the following article for more on the MMIWGT2S crisis and it's links to resource extraction in so-called Canada.
Climate disaster increases incidents of violence	Women and young girls are at greater risk of emotional, physical, and sexual violence by men after climate disasters or other stressful events caused by climate change.
Negative impacts on mother's and child's health	Indigenous women live with the constant disruption of traditional food systems due to shifting climatic conditions. Climate change has altered the environment where traditional medicinal herbs are cultivated and gathered, elevating health risks and infant mortality.

Examples of Feminism

The miniskirt march

In response to violence, harassment, and stigmatization against women’s choice of clothing, women and human rights activists organized a march in 2014 wearing miniskirts and tight-fitting clothes and through the streets of Harare, Zimbabwe.

Iran protests for freedom

In 2022 Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman arrested by morality police in Tehran for allegedly violating Iran's rules requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab, or headscarf, was murdered by police. In protest, women across Iran cut their hair, set their headscarves on fire, and chanted phrases such as "Woman, life, freedom". In several areas, including in marriage, divorce, employment, and culture, Iranian women are restricted or need permission from their husbands or paternal guardians. Hundreds of people, most women and many children, have been murdered while protesting for their rights.

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