One of our articles that I found in particular that grabbed my attention, was our frist reading for the week regarding women’s link to water and climate change. The fact that women in the global south are the primary caregivers, on top of not having the means to get themselves a higher paying job without adequate schooling was a heartbreaking read. It was interesting to me that women’s link with not only the environment, but to water specifically was brought up in this article. Like the articles we read last week with Warren and Hobgood-Oster, we see yet another example of women connected to a source of nature that’s connected to the earth.

The issues women and their families face in these countries regarding something as basic and crucial as water, greatly impacts their quality of life. ”Around the world, water stress, or the “economic, social, or environmental problems caused by unmet water needs,” is an ongoing issue. Women are most vulnerable because they often work in informal markets and do not have the resources to participate in competitive markets that are worsening water scarcity(Women and Climate, feministcampus.org).” Water is vital to continue living not just any life, but a life at all! If someone is drinking dirty water, even though they may be receiving some form of hydration, it can still be full of chemicals and harmful items that can cause more damage to bodies than good.

Climate change in these countries and around the world is another harmful and endangering factor that impacts resources such as water and nourishment. “Climate change poses threats to human health through increased droughts and floods, and further reduces water access and quality; in fact, according to experts, water will be the first resource impacted by climate change (Women and Climate, feministcampus.org).” The article states that the families and women in the lowest economic status are the most at risk due to their inability to access sufficient resources to live a healthier life.

While Agarwal shares some common ideas with Warren and Hobgood-Oster, such as women being more connection with nature, and men culture, she also has a different opinion that states women are also, in her words, ‘actors’ in this topic. “The feminist movement the environmental movement both stand for egalitarian, systems. They thus have a good deal in common to work together to evolve a common perspective, theory, practice (Agarwal, 120).” While our authors last week seemed to really strike the patriarchy hard and pointed the finger primarily at men for the connection of women to nature in a derogatory sense, Agarwal argues that the two have an equal opportunity to work together and end the inequality. I feel that Agarwal wants both women and men, all persons to take responsibility for the issues at stake, and work together in a compromised effort to make positive change around the world, instead of focusing on who to blame. She says following that quote that women, because of their position underneath the domination of nature, have the power to be the ones who end it.

I find that Agarwal’s perspective, regarding us coming together as a group effort and working together to end the issues placed on women and nature is a great way to go about advocating and ending injustice. I do understand each side, and I think that the patriarchy definitely has a large hand in creating the rift that is made to keep men and women separate, pitting them against one another. However, I feel that pushing back despite that rift, and working together to bind it will be more powerful than saying it will only take one group to fix the issue. Men are feminists as well, and that is not often recognized, because feminist topics are consumed by the patriarchal oppression and how to fight against it. However, men do not always equate the patriarchy, and a man should not be penalized if he has had no hand directly in the cause of said issues. What we as a people and a society, in all countries should be focused on is how to come together as a team and battle injustice together, regardless of gender.

Works Cited

1. Agarwal, Bina. “The Gender and Environment Debate: Lessons from India.” Feminist Studies, vol. 18, no. 1, 1992, pp. 119–158. JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/3178217.
2. http://feministcampus.org/campaigns/women-and-climate/