"Gender & Environment"-Forschung im Institut für sozial-ökologische Forschung (ISOE)

Research on Gender and Environment

In Germany, the Institut für sozial-ökologische Forschung is the leading scientific institution working on a systematic combination of environmental research with gender research. Ever since the Institute was first founded, theoretical and methodical questions into the possibility of linking up technical research findings from the natural sciences to those from gender research and feminist theory, along with the definition and concretisation of feminist approaches in environmental research, have constituted an important part of environmental research (cf. Scheich/ Schultz 1987). In accordance with the basic conception of the Institute, social-ecological research implicates gender as a basic problem dimension and category of analysis. At the same time, an interdisciplinary and problem-oriented form of feminist environmental research is being conceptualised, which proceeds in a theory-driven but practically oriented way.

In particular in the Institute's research area "Ecology of everyday life and material flows" with its focus on chemicals policy and material flows, product policy and product lines, demand orientation and consumption patterns, a gender-differentiated perspective is adopted, which takes into account women's responsibility for the environment, their knowledge gleaned from experience (e.g. relating to substances and materials) and their competence in everyday life. Here, theoretical approaches for feminist environmental research and perspectives for putting them into action are developed as part of the long-term project "Gender & Environment". The focus is on working out action perspectives and recommendations in which women feature both as the "affected" and "acting" parties. Research revolves around the question of the power of organisation granted to women (cf. Schultz/ Weller 1995). This topic embraces various individual projects:

For the first time in the study "Frauen und Müll" ("Woman and waste"), strategies pertaining to the perception of women as the acting party in waste management were developed and conceptualised in combination with feminist approaches towards housework and towards lifestyle research (cf. Schultz/ Weiland 1991; Schultz et al. 1992; Schultz 1993a).
The basic research project "Gender and chemistry" was devoted to the gender relationship with regard to chemicalisation and dechemicalisation (cf. Weller 1995).
As part of the symposium "GlobalHaushalt: Globalisierung von Stoffströmen - Feminisierung von Verantwortung" ("Global household: globalisation of material flows - feminisation of responsibility") new feminist modes of explanation were presented, along with perspectives and possibilities of female intervention in environmental policy (cf. Schultz 1993).
The workshop "Gender & Environment" (1995) was dedicated to taking stock of the different approaches towards research of this subject and to the further development of research issues (have a look at the abstract of the book here)
The study "Der Bevölkerungsdiskurs - Demographisches Wissen und politische Macht" ("The population debate - demographic knowledge and political power") was dedicated to gender-specific determinants of (global) population development, the connection between women, population and environment and the analysis of feminist perspectives in the population debate (cf. Hummel 1999; Hummel 1998).

The Institute is heavily involved in the debate on sustainability and gender in Germany (cf. Schultz 1999) and has broad international scientific exchange in this field.

Furthermore, the gender discussion provides an important dimension of research for the following ISOE projects:

In the project "Konsumstile - Haushaltsexploration der Bedingungen, Möglichkeiten und Grenzen nachhaltigen Konsumverhaltens" ("Consumer styles - exploration of households with reference to conditions, possibilities and limitations concerning sustainable consumer behaviour" - financed by the German Federal Environmental Agency the everyday organization of the household was examined more closely, alongside gender-specific and environmental oriented forms of consumption (cf. Empacher/Götz/Schultz 1999).
The project "Wissenstransfer - Entwicklung einer neuen Methode der Produktinnovation" ("Knowledge transfer - Development of a new method of product innovation") puts the focus on women's everyday experiences and organisational knowledge with regard to product groups for the stimulation of eco-innovations (cf. Empacher/Schramm 1998).
Soziale Dimensionen der Nachhaltigkeit - Perspektiven der Konkretisierung und Operationalisierung" ("social dimensions of sustainability - perspectives of concretisation and operationalisation" german description): the gender difference and gender-specific indicators of sustainability constituted an important concretisation dimension in this project (cf. Empacher/Wehling 1998).
In the project "Sustainability as a Concept of Social Sciences" (description) financed by UNESCO the entire debate and research on sustainable development was structured and systemised. This also included a discussion of the sustainability concept based on feminist theory (cf. the contributions of Braidotti and Eichler in Becker/Jahn (eds), Sustainability and the Social Sciences. A cross-disciplinary approach to integration environmental considerations into theoretical reorientation. Further areas where the Institute can boast a comprehensive range of experience are to be found in various sections of individual pilot schemes: water, mobility, urban ecology, as well as building construction and home-living. Of special note here is also the Institute's particular competence in science research, especially in the field of transdisciplinary sustainability research and sustainable research policy.

References:

Claudia Empacher Segovia, February 13th, 2002, Contribution to the Spanish EU-Presidency Workshop on European Environmental Policies and Women: Research on Gender, the Environment and Sustainable Development - Why does gender matter in environment and environment policy matters?(PowerPoint Presentation 86 kb)
Schultz, I. (2001): Presentation for the workshop on "Information for decision-making and participation". http://www.earthsummit2002.org/workshop/satellite_data.htm (30.01.01)
Schultz, I./D. Hummel/D. Hayn/C. Empacher (2001): Gender in Research - Gender Impact Assessment of the specific programmes of the Fifth Framework Programme: ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUB-PROGRAMME, Final Report, Brussels, 5 EURO (Info)
Schultz, I. (2000): Resarch within the frame of Gender and Environment. A Look at the Debate in Germany. Hintergrundtext für die Internationale Frauenuniversität Hannover 2000. nffg Niedersächsischer Forschungsverbund für Frauen-/Geschlechterforschung in Naturwissenschaft, Technik und Medizin http://www.isoe.de/ftp/gedebate.pdf (4.1.2001)

Review:

Another attempt to explain the natural environment from a feminist perspective.
By Helga Purgand: Andreas Nebelung/Angelika Poferl/Irmgard Schultz (Hrsg.): Geschlechterverhältnisse – Naturverhältnisse. Auseinandersetzungen und Perspektiven der Umweltsoziologie. Opladen: Leske+Budrich 2001

http://www.querelles-net.de/english/2002-7/text21.htm or here

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Research on Gender and Environment

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