The Hidden Links Between Gender and Ecology: Degrowth as a Feminist Issue

Degrowth and feminism are deeply interconnected as one cannot fully be realised without the other. The addiction to growth shifts our focus from what is really important, which threatens the diversity that is embedded in nature.

by Bernardo Marta

We are addicted to growth. It is making our societies more sick and unequal than ever. Our oceans are getting full of plastic, we have more and more carbon in the atmosphere, and the temperatures are rising. Why? Because of the uncontrollable growth on which our socioeconomic model is based. Even with so much growth, common people don’t see much improvement in their well-being and inequalities persist. 

Every addiction is dangerous, that is common sense. So, why is not our society’s addiction to growth seen as dangerous? It is evident that unlimited growth is impossible, since it would require an infinite amount of resources. In other words, infinite growth requires one of two things: that our planetary resources would be much larger than they currently are or that humanity would develop technologies at a pace never seen before. The planetary boundaries are impossible to change and this technological progress is unrealistic, even to optimists. Therefore, the growth paradigm is neither feasible nor desirable. Economic growth with no restraints would not just generate imbalances in ecosystems that, in turn, would increase inequalities. This paradigm also shifts our attention from what really matters.

Take a moment and ask yourself what truly matters…

Each one of us will have different answers, but there is a common feature in all of them. There is an inescapable desire to live in a community where its members support each other. A good life is not conceivable without friends to hang out with, relatives to hug at the end of the day, or a pet running to greet us when we arrive home. This interdependence, this reciprocal need of others around us, is embedded in our very beings. It is what Ivan Illich called conviviality, the “autonomous and creative intercourse among persons, and the intercourse of persons with their environment”1. It is very important to point out that harmonious relations are not just valuable as they avoid conflict, they are constitutive in and of themselves. In other words, humans find meaning only when in relation with others because our past draws on them and the future can only be jointly imagined. 

    We find ourselves in a web of relations where each one of us develops emotional bounds towards the others and, when those bounds are strong, we care about them. Despite care and conviviality coming from distinct traditions, they fundamentally argue for the same. To care about each other is to respect individuality and autonomy, and valuing care is to be aware of the interdependence that connects us all. Care goes beyond rational, it is also an emotional impulse towards the wellbeing of others that defies traditional ethical theories based on reason. Since care is historically linked to feminine figures and seen as a less valuable form of acting it is closely related to feminist struggles. Valuing care is not just to recognize historically disregarded groups, it is about creating an inclusive approach that leaves no one behind. The key strength of care is its context sensitiveness, trying to guarantee social justice and everyone’s well-being. Here the first link between feminism and degrowth is unveiled. However, there is much more that connects these two movements.

Feminism is opposed to any gender-based inequality. It is not only against patriarchy but also against any form of gender-based oppression. Therefore, feminism implies a positive valuation of diversity, as there are infinite ways of being a woman and of living and expressing gender. This radical defence of human diversity finds a parallel within the diversity of non-human nature. The planet that we live on is characterised by its biodiversity and geodiversity, with millions of forms of existence, both living and non-living. Diversity is not just desirable, it is already a natural and inevitable condition of reality.

But what does diversity have to do with degrowth? Everything. As each species requires specific conditions to thrive, humans require a society that embraces us as we are. Diversity, whether among humans or within nature, needs to be actively safeguarded. This means guaranteeing a safe present, but also prolonging that into the future. To address the climate crisis, degrowth is the most effective approach. Rethinking the needs of humanity and how wealth is distributed is essential to ensure gender equality and a stable climate. Ending overproduction that traps the Global South in poverty and making knowledge transfers fair and empowering are concrete measures that would help us reach this goal.

These desires are feasible, but require a deep change in our mindsets and societal structures. As the austro-french political ecologist André Gorz brilliantly pointed out, “non-reformist reforms” are the ones capable of impacting the present moment but also sow the seeds that will structurally shape the future. We must start with small reforms, but reforms with the power of a revolution. I do not know if Gorz would agree, but in my opinion, the European Union began as one of those types of reforms. Now, it is time for the Union to make bold and courageous steps. We need non-reformist reforms to push for queer feminism, degrowth and equality. We need them now!

1. Illich, Ivan. “Tools For Conviviality” (1973), p. 24. Fontana/Collins