Women's Agency and Sustainability

Abstract

The critical multitasking role that women play in agriculture, production, and ecological sustainability and their contribution as possessors of knowledge and skills have been almost ignored by the institutionalized patriarchy, such that women constituting almost half of the world's population have lacked equitable participation in decision-making, responsibilities, and benefits of development. In this chapter, the author discusses women's agency and sustainability, focusing on the activist work of two remarkable women from different socio-economic backgrounds in Turkey with whom she conducted in-depth interviews during fieldwork in İspir, Erzurum in 2012. Both women provide examples of how they have responded to issues relating to the upsurge of hydropower projects in Turkey. Although it has been almost eight years since she was in the field, she finds their perspectives and experiences relevant and important for representation of female voices and women's agency in terms of management and sustainability of water resources, particularly given the current climate crisis.