The Gender, Environment and Development (GED) framework posits
that women and men have an equal stake in the environment
and that there are different gender needs and interests
related to the environment. Environmental policies and
programmes should therefore take account of the cultural
and social differences between men and women and, importantly,
the differences in the extent to which men and women
have access to, and control over natural resources.
An analysis of environmental policies and programmes
indicates that for the most part these policies are
gender blind and are either not or only superficially
responsive to gender issues. However, recent developments
give hope that there are good prospects for gender responsiveness
in environmental policies and programmes. The paper
presents a case for gender mainstreaming in our environmental
organisations and programmes.
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