Though it has taken a number of years to accomplish, society todayhas allowed for the expansion of the role of women. Thanks to theWomen’s Rights Movement, women today continue to trade in aprons fortwo-piece, pinstripe suits and feather dusters for suitcases. Womenare no longer considered the lesser in a relationship.
The desire to thrive in an environment different from our own hasbecome a common goal. Some women want to be the career wife -successful in both the workplace and at home. However, many havechosen to put childhood dreams of love, marriage and family on stricthiatus. Certainly, it is understandable why women would want to ditchthe homemaker getup – we have more opportunity today thanwe’ve had in recent history.
Although the “Super-wife” – or in many instances the”Super-mom” – scenario is common today, it leaves women with aremaining burden often put to the side: Women cannot fulfill therequirements of being a mother to this Earth simply because we’re toobusy.
Many women between adolescence and establishing a career areprimarily concerned with fashion and finding a suitable mate.However, when a child comes into our life, our priority becomes thechild’s safety. This entails a need to sustain the environment theygrow up in so it is no different, if not better, than our own.
As women, we often are more compassionate toward issues concerning the environment than our male counterpart. When it comes to the environment, women tend to think of the long-term rather than the short-term, though, according to www.womensenews.org, women are often left out of policy-making concerning environmental issues. It remains an area of interest most female activists are continuing to increase support for. To look for inspiration in making the environment better for thefuture, we must make note of the women who have struggled for thepresent. One woman has chosen to give the Earth the nurture itdeserves: Professor Wangari Maathai. As this year’s Nobel Peace Prizerecipient, Maathai has dedicated much of her life to the environmentin Africa.
Born 1940 in Nyeri, Kenya in 1940, Maathai was the first woman inEastern and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree, according towww.greenbeltmovement.org.Recognized for her struggle for democracy in Kenya along with humanrights and environmental conservation, Maathai began an environmentalcampaign like no other in Africa.
During her service as chairperson of the National Council of Womenof Kenya, Maathai began an acitivity she enjoyed – plantingtrees. With the desire to combat soil erosion and deforestation, aswell as produce a sustainable wood supply for fuel, she started TheGreen Belt Movement in 1977, the first step toward changingecological problems in Africa. The organization, composed primarilyof women, aims to improve the environment – furthering thequality of life for the continent’s people. The movement has resultedin the planting of more than 20 million trees on farms, school lotsand church compounds, according to Green Belt Movement Web site.
Though the campaign has had notable success, it took Maathai’sconsistent commitment to mobilize the movement. She struggled toconvince people women could change the fate of the environmentwithout vast technological advances or financial assistance. In 1986,just nine years later, the movement grew into a continental effortamong women – launching several successful initiatives inTanzania, Uganda, Malawi and Ethiopia among other nations. Today,countries around the globe have started similar organizations.
Maathai has been arrested for her activism against deforestation in Kenya. She’s been tear gassed, beaten and thrown into jail, yet she never gave up on saving Kenya’s dismal environment. Because of her perseverance and accomplishment, she is now deputy minister in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife in Kenya’s ninth parliament. She was married, yet her husband divorced her for being “too educated, too strong, too successful, too stubborn and too hard to control,” according to www.bbc.co.uk. Though she may not be a mother to a child, she continues her journey of motherhood to Earth, and will continue to dedicate her life to keep the environment out of harm’s way. To the women (and men) who do not believe they have enough time tocare for the environment around them: All it takes is a littleseedling of hope, earth and water to better the Earth’s surface forour future.
– Consuela Headrick is a journalism junior and assistant opinioneditor for The Daily Aztec.
– This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of TheDaily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com.Anonymous letters will not be printed – include your full name, majorand year in school.
