Eco-Feminism in Action: How Climate Anxiety Is Reshaping Women's Choices

Hook: "Should I have kids?" is now a climate question.

In 2021, researchers surveyed 10,000 young people aged 16 to 25 in ten countries, including the Philippines, India, Nigeria, Brazil, and the UK. Published in The Lancet Planetary Health, the study found that nearly 6 in 10 were very or extremely worried about climate change. About 4 in 10 said they were hesitant to have children because of it.

Worry was often highest in countries already living with climate impacts, like the Philippines and India.

Where eco-feminism comes in

French writer Françoise d'Eaubonne coined the term ecofeminism in 1974. The idea is that the domination of nature and the domination of women come from the same mindset, one that treats both as resources to use.

Indian scholar Vandana Shiva built on this in Staying Alive (1988), showing how rural women in the Global South were often the first to protect forests, water, and seeds, because their daily survival depended on them. Kenya's Wangari Maathai put it into action with the Green Belt Movement.

Climate impacts aren't gender-neutral. Women are more likely to collect water and fuel, grow food, and care for family members during disasters, so floods, droughts, and heatwaves add to their workload.

(A quick fact check: you'll often see a claim that 80% of people displaced by climate change are women. That number is widely repeated, but its original source is unclear, so it's best not to use it as a hard statistic.)

How climate anxiety shows up in choices

Reproductive decisions. In 2019, the UK-based BirthStrike movement had women publicly pledging not to have children because of the climate crisis. Philosopher Donna Haraway offered a different framing: "make kin, not babies," meaning build deep relationships and care networks beyond biological family. Research on climate-concerned people considering children finds the concern often isn't just about carbon. It's about the kind of world a child would inherit.

Consumption. Thrifting, clothing swaps, repair culture, and "de-influencing" are huge among Gen Z women. Some of this is climate-driven, and some is simply about cost. Both motives often overlap.

Community. Young women are leading climate activism, from Uganda's Vanessa Nakate to India's Licypriya Kangujam. In diaspora communities, climate concern often includes worry for family "back home" facing floods and heat.

A necessary reality check

Individual choices matter, but they aren't the main lever. A small number of companies and high-consuming countries produce most emissions. Asking a young woman in Lagos or Dhaka to carry the moral weight of the crisis through her reproductive choices is unfair and inaccurate. Eco-feminism at its best points at systems: energy policy, land rights, and who gets a seat at climate negotiations.

Turning anxiety into action

• Join something local: a community garden, a repair café, or a climate group.

• Push policy: Support women's land rights and climate adaptation funding that reaches women farmers.

• Talk about it: Climate anxiety shrinks when it's shared.

Is your climate anxiety shaping choices you'd make anyway, or choices you're making out of fear?

Sources: Hickman et al., The Lancet Planetary Health (2021); d'Eaubonne, Le Féminisme ou la Mort (1974); Shiva, Staying Alive (1988); Haraway, Staying with the Trouble (2016); Green Belt Movement.