By ARPITA PRIYADARSHINI MISHRA
INTRODUCTION: When Care Becomes a Form of Power
Democracy is often measured by laws, elections, and institutions. But in India’s villages, forests, coastlines, and urban settlements, democracy is also shaped quietly through care. Care for water sources, forests, seeds, food, waste, and future generations. At the heart of this silent yet powerful form of environmental governance stand Indian women.
Across the country, women are emerging as architects of sustainability not through authority or force, but through responsibility, resilience, and collective action. From protecting forests and reviving rivers to managing waste and practising climate-resilient farming, women are translating constitutional ideals into lived reality. Their leadership is not always visible in headlines, yet it is foundational to India’s green transition.
This is the story of how Indian women are moving from Fundamental Rights enshrined in the Constitution to Fundamental Care practised on the ground shaping what can truly be called a Green Democracy.
Why Are Women Central to Sustainability in India ?
Women in India share a deep, everyday relationship with nature. They collect water, gather fuel, cultivate food, manage households, and care for community health. Climate change directly impacts these roles: longer walks for water, reduced forest resources, food insecurity, and increased health burdens.
Yet, instead of being passive victims, women have become frontline climate actors. Their solutions are often local, low-cost, and community-driven. Studies and development reports consistently show that when women lead environmental initiatives, outcomes are more sustainable and inclusive.
Women’s leadership also ensures intergenerational thinking, protecting resources not only for today, but for children yet unborn.
Constitutional Foundations: Rights, Duties, and Environmental Justice
India’s Constitution provides a powerful framework for women-led sustainability.
Article 14 guarantees equality before law.
Article 15 prohibits discrimination and allows special provisions for women.
Article 21 (Right to Life) has been interpreted to include the right to a clean and healthy environment.
Article 48A directs the State to protect the environment.
Article 51A(g) places a fundamental duty on citizens to protect nature.
When women protect forests, manage water, or lead sanitation movements, they are not merely participating in development they are practising constitutional morality. Their actions bridge rights and responsibilities, democracy and ecology.
Ground-Level Story 1: Women Protecting Forests and Livelihoods
In several tribal regions of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra, women-led forest protection committees have emerged as guardians of biodiversity. These women patrol forests, prevent illegal logging, regulate resource use, and ensure regeneration.
In Odisha’s tribal belts, women have revived traditional forest governance systems, ensuring that firewood collection is sustainable and medicinal plants are preserved. Their leadership has reduced deforestation while securing livelihoods based on non-timber forest produce.
What makes these initiatives remarkable is their collective strength—decisions are taken democratically, conflicts resolved through dialogue, and benefits shared equitably.
Water Keepers: Women at the Centre of Water Security
Water scarcity disproportionately affects women, making them natural leaders in water conservation. Across drought-prone regions, women’s self-help groups (SHGs) have restored wells, tanks, and ponds.
In parts of Maharashtra and Rajasthan, women-led watershed committees revived traditional rainwater harvesting structures. As groundwater levels improved, migration reduced and agriculture stabilised. Women who once walked kilometres for water now manage village water systems.
Their work highlights a crucial truth: sustainable water governance is impossible without women’s leadership.
Ground-Level Story 2: Sanitation, Dignity, and Environmental Health
Cleanliness and sanitation are often viewed as infrastructure issues, but for women, they are matters of dignity, health, and safety. Women played a central role in India’s sanitation movement by promoting household toilets, waste segregation, and cleanliness awareness.
In many villages, women SHGs now manage waste collection and composting units. Organic waste is converted into manure, reducing landfill pressure and supporting local farming. These initiatives connect public health, environment, and livelihoods demonstrating holistic sustainability.
Women Farmers and Climate-Resilient Agriculture :-
Women constitute a significant portion of India’s agricultural workforce, yet their contributions are often invisible. In recent years, women farmers have emerged as champions of climate-resilient agriculture.
From seed saving and mixed cropping to organic inputs and millet revival, women are strengthening food security while protecting ecosystems. In eastern India, women-led seed banks preserve indigenous varieties that withstand droughts and floods better than commercial hybrids.
These practices reduce dependence on external inputs and enhance community resilience in the face of climate uncertainty.
Urban Women and the Green Transition :-
Women’s environmental leadership is not confined to rural areas. In cities, women lead waste segregation drives, zero-waste communities, terrace gardening movements, and plastic-free campaigns.
Resident welfare associations led by women have transformed waste management systems introducing composting, recycling, and awareness programmes. These initiatives reduce municipal waste burdens and promote circular living.
Urban women are also active in sustainable consumption choosing eco-friendly products, reducing food waste, and encouraging ethical lifestyles.
Global Recognition of Women’s Environmental Leadership :-
Internationally, organisations such as UN Women, UNEP, and FAO have emphasised the critical role of women in climate action. Global climate frameworks recognise that gender-inclusive environmental governance leads to better outcomes.
India’s grassroots women leaders embody this global insight. Their work aligns with several UN Sustainable Development Goals, including:
SDG 5 (Gender Equality)
SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation)
SDG 13 (Climate Action)
SDG 15 (Life on Land)
Their leadership demonstrates how local action contributes to global sustainability.
Challenges Women Eco-Warriors Face :-
Despite their contributions, women face systemic barriers, limited land rights, lack of access to credit, restricted mobility, and exclusion from formal decision-making spaces. Climate change intensifies these inequalities.
Recognition, documentation, and policy support for women-led environmental initiatives remain inadequate. Without institutional backing, many successful grassroots models struggle to scale or sustain.
Addressing these challenges requires gender-sensitive climate policies, capacity building, and inclusion of women in environmental governance at all levels.
Green Democracy: Redefining Leadership Through Care
Traditional leadership models emphasise authority and control. Women’s environmental leadership offers an alternative leadership rooted in care, cooperation, and long-term thinking.
This form of leadership strengthens democracy itself. When communities participate, resources are shared equitably, and decisions respect ecological limits, democracy becomes more inclusive and resilient.
Women-led sustainability initiatives thus represent not only environmental action, but democratic renewal.
The Way Forward: Strengthening Women’s Green Leadership
To build a sustainable future, India must invest in women as environmental leaders. This includes:
Legal recognition of women farmers and forest managers .
Financial and technical support for women-led green enterprises.
Education and leadership training.
Inclusion of women in climate decision-making bodies.
Empowering women is not charity it is a climate strategy.
Conclusion: Democracy Rooted in Earth and Equality
India’s women are quietly redefining what leadership looks like in the age of climate crisis. By caring for land, water, forests, and communities, they transform constitutional ideals into everyday practice. Their work reminds us that sustainability is not only about technology or policy it is about relationships, responsibility, and respect for life.
From Fundamental Rights to Fundamental Care, women are shaping a Green Democracy that is inclusive, resilient, and deeply humane. In their stories lies India’s greatest hope for a sustainable future.
References:-
UN Women – Gender & Climate Change Reports
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – Women, Nature & Climate Action
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) – Women in Agriculture & Sustainability
Down To Earth Magazine – Women-led environmental movements and rural sustainability
The Hindu – Reports on women, environment, sanitation, and grassroots leadership
The Indian Express – Stories on SHGs, women farmers, and environmental governance
Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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