Women's Participation in Forestry

The National Forest Policy and legislation on joint forest management(JFM) in some states are influenced by two theoretical perspectives: one, a women and environment development (WED) perspective, which focuses on the material role of women in achieving 'closeness' with nature and ecofeminism, and the other a gender and development (GAD) perspective that firmly believes that gender-sensitive planning for JFM should be to find ways for women to institutionalise their bargaining strength. This paper, an attempt to examine the extent of women's involvement in forestry and their role in JFM in West Bengal, observes that despite women's greater involvement in forestry, the state JFM resolution has proved inadequate for ensuring their participation in community institutions.