Feminist Leadership in the Sustainability Transition: A Case of Female and Non-binary Leaders in Finland
Chuzel-Marmot, Meredith (2022)
Chuzel-Marmot, Meredith
2022
Master's Programme in Leadership for Change
Johtamisen ja talouden tiedekunta - Faculty of Management and Business
This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2022-05-04
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202203262770
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202203262770
Tiivistelmä
The sustainability transition has been necessitated by the ecological crisis. The ecological crisis is a reality acknowledged in the political, scientific, economic, and activist spheres that only a few skeptics keep denying. This thesis brings gender into the debate on sustainability transitions. Specifically, it explores the ecofeminist hypothesis about possible connections between the unequal status of women and the exploitation of nature. This hypothesis is examined by analyzing feminist leadership in the context of the ecological crisis. In addition, this research connects the debate further to critical political economy debates contributing to the disruptive long-term and systemically transformative strategies that feminist theories have highlighted. To main research question of the research is to examine how (self-identified) feminist political leaders in Finland take into consideration the resolution of ecological crisis in their agendas. A directed approach to content analysis was used to analyze the data produced through semi-structured interviews of women and non-binary feminist leaders in Finland.
The results from the data analysis suggest that women and non-binary people are not essentially connected to nature. However, their material condition as a marginalized group influences them in making decisions that are inclusive socially and environmentally. In relation to the hypothesis put forth in ecofeminist literature, the results indicated that feminist leaders resort to the intersectional framework to solve the ecological crisis. The findings of this research also problematized the unlimited progress and logic of unsustainable growth in the capitalist economic system. On this basis, alternative economies were suggested and an ethics of care of the economy is revealed as necessary. Finally, the findings point out how patriarchy and capitalism are both outlined by feminist leaders as responsible for social inequalities and environmental degradation. While the research findings cannot be generalized due to the limited amount of data produced, this thesis contributes to expanding the multidisciplinary academic research by creating connections between ecofeminism, leadership studies, and political economy. Finally, this study also highlights the significance of studying the gendered nature of society to better understand the relationship between humanity and nature.
The results from the data analysis suggest that women and non-binary people are not essentially connected to nature. However, their material condition as a marginalized group influences them in making decisions that are inclusive socially and environmentally. In relation to the hypothesis put forth in ecofeminist literature, the results indicated that feminist leaders resort to the intersectional framework to solve the ecological crisis. The findings of this research also problematized the unlimited progress and logic of unsustainable growth in the capitalist economic system. On this basis, alternative economies were suggested and an ethics of care of the economy is revealed as necessary. Finally, the findings point out how patriarchy and capitalism are both outlined by feminist leaders as responsible for social inequalities and environmental degradation. While the research findings cannot be generalized due to the limited amount of data produced, this thesis contributes to expanding the multidisciplinary academic research by creating connections between ecofeminism, leadership studies, and political economy. Finally, this study also highlights the significance of studying the gendered nature of society to better understand the relationship between humanity and nature.