An Ecofeminist Analysis of Environmentally Sensitive Women using Qualitative Methodology: The Emancipatory Potential of an Ecological Life

Using depth interviews and observations, the authors empirically examine market activities of women who care deeply about nature. Interpreted in the light of ecofeminist theory, the data suggest that these women are forging an ecological self that affects their view of consumption and the marketplace. Leading ecological lives, the women challenge traditional notions of feminine consumption and are a force for change in their relationships with family, friends, the workplace, and the community. These data dispute conventional notions of environmentalism and green consumption; they support and extend an ecofeminist notion of the ecological self as a nondominating path of change. The authors outline implications for relevant stakeholders.