There are important gendered contexts to many environmental issues. Numerous studies have revealed greater concern amongst women about the environmental and health impacts of new technologies, and about environmental degradation. There are gendered patterns of enrolment in basic and applied science programs related to the environment.
Men are overwhelming over-represented in positions of power in natural resource based industries.
This gendered division of labour also affects the culture and politics of such communities. In many parts of the world, women have taken lead roles in environmental movements. These are but a few of the contexts in which gender is relevant to understanding the relationship between natural and social systems that we will consider. This course offers an introduction and overview of theories and research on gender, technology, and the natural environment. Topics will be reviewed primarily from a social science perspective.