A Critique of Ecofeminism

Since Francoise d'Eaubonne first coined the term eco-feminisme in 1974, a growing number of feminists and environmentalists have been concerned with the links between the domination of women and the domination of nature in Western culture. Although the concept of ecofeminism has come to mean quite different things to different ecofeminists, Karen Warren suggests that it is at least based on the following claims: (i) there are important connections between the oppression of women nonhuman nature" (64). Some ecofeminists have argued that women are in a better position than men to relate with nature, that they are in fact closer to nature and hence can derive some unique insight from this bond. This ecofeminist discussion takes two forms (66).l Proponents of the "body-based argument" claim that women, through their unique bodily experiences-ovulation, menstruation, pregnancy, child birth, and breast-feeding-are closer to and can more readily connect with nature. The "oppression argument" is based on the belief that women's separate social reality, resulting from a sexual division of labour and associated oppression, has led women to develop a special insight and connection with nature. In either case, ecofeminists typically derive an ethics based on historically undervalued feminine values of "care, love, friendand the oppression of nature; (ii) unTamara Thiebaux, Mother Earth Posing, 1989 ship, trust, and appropriate reciprocderstanding the nature of these conWatercolour, 4 X 3" ity" (Warren, 1990: 141) that ismeant nections is necessary to any adequate to overcome all forms of domination. understanding of the oppression of women and the oppression of nature; (iii) feminist theory and Relying on women's bodily experiences practice must include an ecological perspective ; and (iv) solutions to ecological problems must include a feminist perspective While it is hard to deny that female and male bodily experi(1987, 4-5). Ecofeminism is thus more than a complement to ences differ in many ways, one must be careful before giving either feminism or environmental thought; "ecofeminism locates support to the "body-based" argument that specifically female itself as a theory and movement which bridges the gap between bodily experiences actually confer on women superior (as opfeminism and ecology, but which transforms both to create a posed to different) insight into our relationship with nature. As unified praxis to end all forms of domination" (Sandilands, 3). Catherine Roach points out, Ecofeminists recognize that the association between women and nature has historically been used to exploit them, but they although men do not menstruate, bear children, or breastchoose to embrace this connection as a source of empowerment feed, they do share all other human biological processes and as the basis for their critique of the patriarchal oppression of (eating, sleeping, eliminating wastes, getting sick, dying), women and nature. As Robyn Eckersley points out, "[tlhis is an and in addition, in their ejaculation of semen they have explicitly ecofeminist project because it exposes and celebrates experience of a tangible stuff of the reproduction of life (52). what has traditionally been regarded as Other--both woman and