College of
Business
Administration
College of
Business
Administration
1. FEMINISM is defined in Webster's dictionary as "a movement to win political, economic or social equality for women."
In her article "the Power and Promise of ecological Feminism," Karen Warren states, "Whatever else it is, feminine is at least the movement to end sexist oppression. It involves the elimination of any and all factors that contribute to the continued and systematic domination or subordination of women... A "feminist issue" is any issue that contributes insome way to understanding the oppression of women."
ECOLOGY is defined by Webster as "a branch of biology that deals with the relations between living organisms and their environment."
Without worrying about being "politically correct," how would you define FEMINISM? ECOLOGY? Do you see an intrinsic connection between feminism and ecology? How would you bring the two concepts together?
2. In another place in her article, Warren states: "'Loving Perception' of the nonhuman natural world is an attempt to understand what it means for humans to CARE ABOUT the nonhuman world, a world acknowledged as being independent, different, perhaps even indifferent to humans."
In an article entitled "Unraveling the problems in Ecofeminism," Christine Cuomo states that "Ethical questions about human stewardship of land touch on some of the issues that must be considered on determining if caring for, or caretaking, land and nonhuman individuals and species is in the best interest of those objects of care."
What difference does it make if humans CARE ABOUT a rock, a tree or an animal? Does CARING change the rock? Does it make any difference to the rock? What does this CARING do for the "one-care-for?" Is there an intrinsic dominance relationship between the caretaker and the one-cared-for?
3. In the article, "Caring about Nature: Feminist Ethics and the environment," Roger J.H. King states that "... some ecofeminists... argue that women are closer to nature than are men. By virtue of their closer relationship to nature, it is claimed that women are more likely than men to care about nature and are better prepared to do so than men." What is your reaction to this statement? Do you agree or disagree with the ecofeminists who argue this? Why or why not? If this argument is true, does this place a heavier burden of responsibility for the environment on women than it does on men? Does it give an excuse for men to say "It's just not in my makeup TO CARE about the environment?"
4. Is ecofeminism only possible in an "ecotopia?"
5. How would attention to feminine values of inclusivity, responsiveness and cooperation enhance the working relationships between the environmental groups?
6. How does ecofeminism influence your thinking about property, ownership and guardianship?
7. What impacts could ecofeminism have on business practices? For example:
a) [internal impact] How does ecofeminism play a role in hiring or job promoting?
b) [external impact] How does ecofeminism play a role in product packaging and waste disposal?
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