ECOFEMINISM: Feminism and ecology: the same struggle?

"Ecofeminism is a movement that sees a connection between the exploitation and degradation of the natural world and the subordination and oppression of women. It emerged in the mid-1970s alongside second-wave feminism and the green movement."

                                 

ECOFEMINISM= ENVIRONMENTALISM + FEMINISM

It is clear that environmentalism and feminism are both conspicuous, contemporary issues that cannot be understated, and that gender discussion should be integrated into discussions about environmental reparation. Ecofeminism sees a critical connection between the two, as both having been caused by a result of patriarchy – and wants to say more than just that women are more affected by environmental damage. 

                             

The Chipko Movement, a 1970s group of activists from India that protected local forests from deforestation, is seen by many as a model for Environmental Ecofeminism today. Image courtesy of Hindi First Post.

The Feminist History Of Bicycles

It's time to delve into the history of this most feminist of machines. Yes, you read that correctly. 

In ways both explicit and subtle, the invention and popularization of the humble two-wheeled bicycle in the 19th century helped move the cause of female equality and freedom forward in the modern world;

The first bicycles were almost exclusively for men; Bicycles were, up until 1890s, considered masculine accessories.

People Saw The Bicycle As A Sexual ThreatBicycling didn't just give women a way to get around freely; it also, surprisingly, played a role in women's sexual liberation — purely because some people believed that if women went around straddling something, they would start having orgasms all over the place (which, needless to say, these people thought was a bad thing).

Bicycles Helped Women Shed Restrictive ClothingThe phenomenon of the bicycle also helped women get out of long, restrictive skirts — because while many of them were perfectly happy cycling decorously in ankle-skimmers, some found the practicalities rather unbearable. 

Bicycles Were Associated With The "New Woman" And Feminism
Bicycle-riding women were seen as exemplars of the New Woman, who didn't necessarily want to have children, be deprived of a career, or have no political voice, and were accordingly praised and/or browbeaten as such. 
Suffragettes Championed Bikes As Tools Of Liberation

Suffragettes embraced bicycles both symbolically and physically.
Bicycles were strongly in the firmament of feminism, and there they've stayed. 

 The late 19th and early 20th centuries were filled with caricatures of lady bicyclists doing such ridiculous things as smoking, rushing off to protests, or trying to get the vote, often while wearing masculine clothing and leaving their husbands at home with the baby.

So, take your bike out for a run, ladies;

 you and your forebears have earned it.

8TH OF MARCH _ INTERNATIONAL WOMEN´S DAY YES WE CAN!

All people, in all their diversity, should be free to live their chosen life, thrive socially and economically, participate and take a lead as equals. Women are key agents of development and change. Achieving gender equality and empowering women is vital to building fair, inclusive, prosperous and peaceful societies everywhere.