Gender, Large-scale Resource Extraction, and Environmental Inequality in Latin America

A growing body of research and literature explores how women are particularly affected by the social, environmental and economic impacts of large-scale natural resource extraction. Furthermore, these environmental inequalities disproportionately affect marginalized women; be it geographically, racially, and/or otherwise marginalized. This chapter provides an overview of contemporary research into gendered aspects of environmental inequalities, in the context of large-scale resource extraction, and through exploring key theoretical concepts associated with Feminist Political Ecology and Latin American feminisms. We offer a detailed case study on the gendered impacts of large-scale mining in Latin America, drawing upon a range of research projects we have been involved in, highlighting how women often face more, and more severe, impacts of large-scale natural resource extraction as compared to men, across social, economic, and environmental spheres. Finally, we offer some suggestions for areas of future research.