Environmental Inequalities and Activism in the Global South: The Case of South Africa through an Intersectional Gender Lens

Research strongly points to that women are more negatively affected by climate change than men, particularly in the Global South. Yet, research on these women’s climate-related grievances, coping mechanisms, and activism remains scarce. Building on ongoing field work in South Africa (until December 2024), we are conducting 25 qualitative expert interviews to examine the role of gender in experiencing and protesting environmental issues. The study will build on local voices ranging from affected civilians and scholars, to public officials and activist organizations. As a country, South Africa holds some of the highest levels of economic inequality in the world, which strongly align with racist political legacies, and is very vulnerable to climate change in the form of e.g., extreme weather events, droughts, and floods, as well as being known as a global “protest capital”. In other words, it is a highly relevant case for the study of the relationship between climate change, inequality, and activism. Through our field work, complex structures of vulnerability are explored in depth, with a focus on gender, race, and class. Women in rural areas are often in charge of working agricultural land, gathering water and firewood, as well as large portions of the family and community care work. Simultaneously, women are significantly less likely to own land, face a gender pay gap, and live in largely patriarchal structures. How do these inequalities translate into patterns of engagement in environmental activism and protest, and which tactics are being used? How do women, particularly poor women of color in rural areas, strategically cope and politically engage with the environmental challenges they face? And how do environmental organizations help women and other vulnerable groups to overcome these inequalities?