Rethinking gender and waste: exploratory findings from participatory action research in Brazil

Call for Papers: Hierarchies of domesticity – spatial and social boundaries. Deadline for submissions is 30^th September, 2024. Full details can be read here.

Articles to be no longer than 6,000 words (excluding footnotes and bibliography) and submitted in two forms: an anonymised version in which all references to the authors’ institution and publications are omitted; and a full version including the authors’ titles and institutional affiliations. For complete instructions on style, formatting, etc., please consult: https://www.plutojournals.com/wp-content/uploads/WOLG-Instructions-for-Authors2023.pdf

scite_

Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Volume 9, Issue 2

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: found

Is Open Access

Rethinking gender and waste: exploratory findings from participatory action research in Brazil

research-article

Author(s): Sonia Maria Dias , Ana Carolina Ogando

Publication date (Print): Winter 2015

Journal: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

Bookmark

Abstract

This article focuses on how women waste pickers identify and deal with hierarchical gender relations. Based on findings from an exploratory participatory research action project with women waste pickers in Minas Gerais, Brazil, it reflects on the different forms of oppression experienced by women waste pickers at home, in the workplace and in their national movement. The article seeks to highlight how shared reflections on particular experiences of oppression not only help build awareness of women's multiple and intersectional identities but also foster paths towards individual and collective empowerment.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (doi): 10.13169

Journal ID (publisher-id): workorgalaboglob

Title: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

ISSN (Print): 1745641X

ISSN (Electronic): 17456428

Publication date (Print): Winter 2015

Volume: 9

Issue: 2

Pages: 51-63

Article

Publisher ID: workorgalaboglob.9.2.0051

DOI: 10.13169/workorgalaboglob.9.2.0051

SO-VID: 1bd5e53a-c860-499e-8dcc-f2a8c2213852

License:

All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

ScienceOpen disciplines: Sociology,Labor law,Political science,Labor & Demographic economics,Political economics

References

Beall, J. (1997) ‘Thoughts on poverty from a South Asian rubbish dump: Gender inequality and household waste’, IDS Bulletin , 28 (3):1–18.
Bhowmik, S.K. (2006) ‘Cooperatives and the emancipation of the marginalized: Case studies from two cities in India’ in B. d. S. Santos (ed.) Another Production Is Possible. Beyond the Capitalist Canon , London: Verso:70–94.
Brydon-Miller, M., D. Greenwood & P. Maguire (2003) ‘Why action research?’ Action Research , 1 (1):9–28.
Chen, M. (2006) ‘Rethinking the informal economy: Linkages with the formal economy and the formal regulatory environment’ in B. Guha-Khasnobi, R. Kanbur & E. Orstrom (eds) Unlocking Human Potential: Concepts and Policies for Linking the Informal and Formal Sectors , Oxford: Oxford University Press:75–92.
Chen, M. (2012) ‘The informal economy: Definitions, theories and policies’, WIEGO Working Paper No. 1. Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://wiego.org/sites/wiego.org/files/publications/files/Chen_WIEGO_WP1.pdf.
Chikarmane, P. (2012) ‘Integrating waste pickers into municipal solid waste management in Pune, India’, WIEGO Policy Brief (Urban Policies) No. 8. Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://www.inclusivecities.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Chikarmane_WIEGO_PB8.pdf.
Collins, P.H. (1998) Fighting Words: Black Women and the Search for Justice , Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Collins, P.H. (2000) Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment , New York: Routledge.
Cornwall, A. (2003) ‘Whose voices? Whose choices? Reflections on gender and participatory development’, World Development , 31 (8):1325–42.
Crenshaw, K. (1989) ‘Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics’, The University of Chicago Legal Forum , 140:139–67.
Crenshaw, K. (1991) ‘Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color’, Stanford Law Review , 43 (6):1241–99.
Dias, S.M. (2002) ‘Construindo a Cidadania: Avanços e Limites do Projeto de Coleta Seletiva de Belo Horizonte em Parceria com a Asmare’ (Master's dissertation), Belo Horizonte: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.
Dias, S.M. (2009) ‘Trajetórias e Memórias dos Fóruns Lixo e Cidadania no Brasil: Experimentos Singulares de Justiça Social e Governança Participativa’ (PhD thesis), Belo Horizonte: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.
Dias, S.M. (2014) ‘Waste and citizenship forum's trajectories – Achievements and challenges’, IPSA Congress Proceedings , Montreal, Canada, July, 19–24, 2014.
Dias, S.M. & F.C.G. Alves (2008) ‘Integration of the informal recycling sector in solid waste management in Brazil’. Accessed June, 6, 2015 from http://www.giz.de.
Dias, S.M. & L. Fernandez (2013) ‘Wastepickers: A gendered perspective’, in Powerful Synergies: Gender Equality, Economic Development and Environmental Sustainability , New York: UNDP.
Dias, S.M, M. Matos & A.C. Ogando (2013) ‘Mujeres “catadoras”: Construyendo una agenda de género en las organizaciones catadoras’, in Género, Pobreza y Medio Ambiente , Mexico City: IPADE.
Douglas, M. (2003) Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo , New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Fraser, N. (2003) ‘Social justice in the age of identity politics: Redistribution, recognition and participation’ in N. Fraser & A. Honneth (eds) Redistribution or Recognition? A Political-Philosophical Exchange , London: Verso:7–109.
Fraser, N. (2008) ‘Reframing justice in a globalizing world’ in K. Olson (ed.) Adding Insult to Injury: Nancy Fraser Debates Her Critics , New York: Verso:273–91.
Freire, P. (2005) Pedagogy of the Oppressed , New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc.
Freitas, L.F.S & I.F. Fonseca (2012) Diagnóstico dos Resíduos Sólidos Urbanos – Relatório de Pesquisa , Brasília: Instituto de Pesquisa Economica Aplicada (IPEA).
Frisby, W, P. Maguire & C. Reid (2009) ‘The “f” word has everything to do with it: How feminist theories inform action research’, Action Research , 7 (1):13–29.
Goulart, F. & F. Lima (2012) ‘Eficiência e Solidariedade nas Associações de Catadores de Materiais Recicláveis’, WIEGO Working Paper No. 22. Accessed June, 5, 2015 from http://wiego.org/sites/wiego.org/files/publications/files/Goulart_WIEGO_WP22_Portugues.pdf.
Hill, E. (2001) ‘Women in the Indian informal economy: Collective strategies for work life improvement and development’, Work, Employment & Society , 15 (3):443–64.
hooks, b. (1984) Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center , Cambridge: South End Press.
Instituto Nenuca de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (2007) Perfil socioeconômico dos catadores da rede CATAUNIDOS – 2007 , Belo Horizonte: INSEA/UFMG/FELC.
Jacobi, P. (2006) Gestão Compartilhada dos Resíduos Sólidos: Inovação com Inclusão Social , São Paulo: Annablume.
Kesby, M. (2005) ‘Retheorizing empowerment through participation as a performance in space: Beyond tyranny to transformation’, Signs , 30 (4):2037–65.
Madsen, C. (2005) ‘Feminizing waste: Waste-picking as an empowerment opportunity for women and children in impoverished communities’, Colorado Journal of International Environmental Law and Policy , 17 (1):165–200.
Maguire, P. (2001) ‘Uneven ground: Feminisms and action research’ in P. Reason & H. Bradbury (eds) Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry and Practice , London: Sage:59–69.
Mayoux, L. & R. Chambers (2005) ‘Reversing the paradigm: Quantification, participatory methods and pro-poor impact assessment’, Journal of International Development , 17 (2):271–98.
Medina, M. (2007) The World's Scavengers: Salvaging for Sustainable Consumption and Production , Plymouth: AltaMira Press.
Miraftab, F. (2004) ‘Making neo-liberal governance: The disempowering work of empowerment’, International Planning Studies , 9 (4):239–59.
Mohanty, C. (2003) Feminism without Borders , Durham: Duke University Press.
Moser, C. (1989) ‘Gender planning in the Third World: meeting practical and strategic gender needs.’ World Development , 17 (11):1799–1825.
Moser, C. (1993) Gender Planning and Development: Theory, Practice and Training , New York: Routledge.
Muller, M. & A. Scheinberg (2003) ‘Gender-linked livelihoods from modernising the waste management and recycling sector: A framework for analysis and decision making’ in Gender and the Waste Economy: Vietnamese and International Experiences , Vietnam: National Political Publisher:15–39. Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://sites.utoronto.ca/waste-econ/GenderBook.pdf#page=7.
Samson, M. (ed.) (2009) Refusing to be Cast Aside – Waste Pickers Organising Around the World , Cambridge: WIEGO.
Sardenberg, C.M.B. (2006) ‘Conceituando “Empoderamento” na perspectiva feminista’, I Seminário Internacional: Trilhas do Empoderamento de Mulheres-Projeto TEMPO , Salvador, Bahia, June, 5–10, 2006.
Weiler, K. (1991) ‘Freire and Feminist Pedagogy of Difference’, Harvard Educational Review , 61 (4):449–75.
Wieringa, S. (1998) ‘Rethinking gender planning: A critical discussion of the use of the concept of gender’, Gender, Technology and Development , 2 (3):349–71.
Wirth, I.G. (2010) ‘As relações de gênero em cooperativas populares do segmento de reciclagem: um caminho para a constituição da autogestão?’ (Master's thesis), Campinas: Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação.
Wrigley-Asante, C. (2013) ‘Unraveling the health-related challenges of women in the informal economy: Accounts of women in cross-border trading in Accra, Ghana’, GeoJournal , 78 (3): 525–37.
Young, I. (1990) Justice and the Politics of Difference , Princeton: Princeton University.

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Beall, J. (1997) ‘Thoughts on poverty from a South Asian rubbish dump: Gender inequality and household waste’, IDS Bulletin , 28 (3):1–18.

[2] Bhowmik, S.K. (2006) ‘Cooperatives and the emancipation of the marginalized: Case studies from two cities in India’ in B. d. S. Santos (ed.) Another Production Is Possible. Beyond the Capitalist Canon , London: Verso:70–94.

[3] Brydon-Miller, M., D. Greenwood & P. Maguire (2003) ‘Why action research?’ Action Research , 1 (1):9–28.

[4] Chen, M. (2006) ‘Rethinking the informal economy: Linkages with the formal economy and the formal regulatory environment’ in B. Guha-Khasnobi, R. Kanbur & E. Orstrom (eds) Unlocking Human Potential: Concepts and Policies for Linking the Informal and Formal Sectors , Oxford: Oxford University Press:75–92.

[5] Chen, M. (2012) ‘The informal economy: Definitions, theories and policies’, WIEGO Working Paper No. 1. Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://wiego.org/sites/wiego.org/files/publications/files/Chen_WIEGO_WP1.pdf.

[6] Chikarmane, P. (2012) ‘Integrating waste pickers into municipal solid waste management in Pune, India’, WIEGO Policy Brief (Urban Policies) No. 8. Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://www.inclusivecities.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Chikarmane_WIEGO_PB8.pdf.

[7] Collins, P.H. (1998) Fighting Words: Black Women and the Search for Justice , Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

[8] Collins, P.H. (2000) Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment , New York: Routledge.

[9] Cornwall, A. (2003) ‘Whose voices? Whose choices? Reflections on gender and participatory development’, World Development , 31 (8):1325–42.

[10] Crenshaw, K. (1989) ‘Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics’, The University of Chicago Legal Forum , 140:139–67.

[11] Crenshaw, K. (1991) ‘Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color’, Stanford Law Review , 43 (6):1241–99.

[12] Dias, S.M. (2002) ‘Construindo a Cidadania: Avanços e Limites do Projeto de Coleta Seletiva de Belo Horizonte em Parceria com a Asmare’ (Master's dissertation), Belo Horizonte: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.

[13] Dias, S.M. (2009) ‘Trajetórias e Memórias dos Fóruns Lixo e Cidadania no Brasil: Experimentos Singulares de Justiça Social e Governança Participativa’ (PhD thesis), Belo Horizonte: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.

[14] Dias, S.M. (2014) ‘Waste and citizenship forum's trajectories – Achievements and challenges’, IPSA Congress Proceedings , Montreal, Canada, July, 19–24, 2014.

[15] Dias, S.M. & F.C.G. Alves (2008) ‘Integration of the informal recycling sector in solid waste management in Brazil’. Accessed June, 6, 2015 from http://www.giz.de.

[16] Dias, S.M. & L. Fernandez (2013) ‘Wastepickers: A gendered perspective’, in Powerful Synergies: Gender Equality, Economic Development and Environmental Sustainability , New York: UNDP.

[17] Dias, S.M, M. Matos & A.C. Ogando (2013) ‘Mujeres “catadoras”: Construyendo una agenda de género en las organizaciones catadoras’, in Género, Pobreza y Medio Ambiente , Mexico City: IPADE.

[18] Douglas, M. (2003) Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo , New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

[19] Fraser, N. (2003) ‘Social justice in the age of identity politics: Redistribution, recognition and participation’ in N. Fraser & A. Honneth (eds) Redistribution or Recognition? A Political-Philosophical Exchange , London: Verso:7–109.

[20] Fraser, N. (2008) ‘Reframing justice in a globalizing world’ in K. Olson (ed.) Adding Insult to Injury: Nancy Fraser Debates Her Critics , New York: Verso:273–91.

[21] Freire, P. (2005) Pedagogy of the Oppressed , New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc.

[22] Freitas, L.F.S & I.F. Fonseca (2012) Diagnóstico dos Resíduos Sólidos Urbanos – Relatório de Pesquisa , Brasília: Instituto de Pesquisa Economica Aplicada (IPEA).

[23] Frisby, W, P. Maguire & C. Reid (2009) ‘The “f” word has everything to do with it: How feminist theories inform action research’, Action Research , 7 (1):13–29.

[24] Goulart, F. & F. Lima (2012) ‘Eficiência e Solidariedade nas Associações de Catadores de Materiais Recicláveis’, WIEGO Working Paper No. 22. Accessed June, 5, 2015 from http://wiego.org/sites/wiego.org/files/publications/files/Goulart_WIEGO_WP22_Portugues.pdf.

[25] Hill, E. (2001) ‘Women in the Indian informal economy: Collective strategies for work life improvement and development’, Work, Employment & Society , 15 (3):443–64.

[26] hooks, b. (1984) Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center , Cambridge: South End Press.

[27] Instituto Nenuca de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (2007) Perfil socioeconômico dos catadores da rede CATAUNIDOS – 2007 , Belo Horizonte: INSEA/UFMG/FELC.

[28] Jacobi, P. (2006) Gestão Compartilhada dos Resíduos Sólidos: Inovação com Inclusão Social , São Paulo: Annablume.

[29] Kesby, M. (2005) ‘Retheorizing empowerment through participation as a performance in space: Beyond tyranny to transformation’, Signs , 30 (4):2037–65.

[30] Madsen, C. (2005) ‘Feminizing waste: Waste-picking as an empowerment opportunity for women and children in impoverished communities’, Colorado Journal of International Environmental Law and Policy , 17 (1):165–200.

[31] Maguire, P. (2001) ‘Uneven ground: Feminisms and action research’ in P. Reason & H. Bradbury (eds) Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry and Practice , London: Sage:59–69.

[32] Mayoux, L. & R. Chambers (2005) ‘Reversing the paradigm: Quantification, participatory methods and pro-poor impact assessment’, Journal of International Development , 17 (2):271–98.

[33] Medina, M. (2007) The World's Scavengers: Salvaging for Sustainable Consumption and Production , Plymouth: AltaMira Press.

[34] Miraftab, F. (2004) ‘Making neo-liberal governance: The disempowering work of empowerment’, International Planning Studies , 9 (4):239–59.

[35] Mohanty, C. (2003) Feminism without Borders , Durham: Duke University Press.

[36] Moser, C. (1989) ‘Gender planning in the Third World: meeting practical and strategic gender needs.’ World Development , 17 (11):1799–1825.

[37] Moser, C. (1993) Gender Planning and Development: Theory, Practice and Training , New York: Routledge.

[38] Muller, M. & A. Scheinberg (2003) ‘Gender-linked livelihoods from modernising the waste management and recycling sector: A framework for analysis and decision making’ in Gender and the Waste Economy: Vietnamese and International Experiences , Vietnam: National Political Publisher:15–39. Accessed October, 15, 2015 from http://sites.utoronto.ca/waste-econ/GenderBook.pdf#page=7.

[39] Samson, M. (ed.) (2009) Refusing to be Cast Aside – Waste Pickers Organising Around the World , Cambridge: WIEGO.

[40] Sardenberg, C.M.B. (2006) ‘Conceituando “Empoderamento” na perspectiva feminista’, I Seminário Internacional: Trilhas do Empoderamento de Mulheres-Projeto TEMPO , Salvador, Bahia, June, 5–10, 2006.

[41] Weiler, K. (1991) ‘Freire and Feminist Pedagogy of Difference’, Harvard Educational Review , 61 (4):449–75.

[42] Wieringa, S. (1998) ‘Rethinking gender planning: A critical discussion of the use of the concept of gender’, Gender, Technology and Development , 2 (3):349–71.

[43] Wirth, I.G. (2010) ‘As relações de gênero em cooperativas populares do segmento de reciclagem: um caminho para a constituição da autogestão?’ (Master's thesis), Campinas: Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação.

[44] Wrigley-Asante, C. (2013) ‘Unraveling the health-related challenges of women in the informal economy: Accounts of women in cross-border trading in Accra, Ghana’, GeoJournal , 78 (3): 525–37.

[45] Young, I. (1990) Justice and the Politics of Difference , Princeton: Princeton University.