Historical development of women's movements from the perspective of ecofeminism and environmental justice

Feminism, in its most fundamental sense, is a school of thought that rejects the patriarchal codes embedded in society and opposes this established mindset, advocating for a more just and equal order in every sense. This ideology, which has undergone transformations alongside social changes over the years, has diversified and branched out by permeating different fields. Ecofeminism, which developed as a sub-branch of the feminist approach, expresses an approach that links women's struggles against social inequalities with environmental issues. This understanding argues that nature and women are similarly subjugated and exploited by the patriarchal mindset. According to the ecofeminist perspective, this parallelism established between women and nature indicates that both women and the natural environment are subject to similar pressures. Within this framework, the study addresses the question: 'What role has ecofeminism played in the historical development of women's movements and the struggle for environmental justice?' The study examines the fundamental concepts of ecofeminist thought and the historical development of women's movements in order to understand the roles of women in environmental struggles. The first section of the study covers the concepts of feminism, ecofeminism, and environmental justice, examining their historical development, theoretical foundations, and interrelationships. In particular, it has been discussed how the concept of environmental justice is intertwined with the ecofeminist perspective and how it reveals the structural links between gender-based inequalities and environmental destruction. The second section evaluates women's historical and current roles in environmental struggles, their reflections in the world media, and their leadership in global movements. The third chapter examines the effects of gender inequality on environmental justice and security. Women's roles in environmental security and the effects of climate change on women are addressed in the context of the risks women face and strategies for solutions. Within the scope of this thesis, the structural parallelism between ecological destruction of nature and gender inequality was analysed from an ecofeminist perspective. It was concluded that ecofeminism has had a transformative effect on women's movements and that women have taken on active, decisive roles in the struggle for environmental justice.