What would attract women to forest-based climate action? Learning from decades of female participation in an infant and maternal health system in Indonesia

Low female participation in community-based forest actions for mitigating and adapting to climate change (i.e., “forest climate actions”) increases gender inequalities and could reduce intervention effectiveness. Factors preventing women’s participation in forestry are well-researched, while factors motivating women’s participation is comparatively lacking. We fill this gap by (i) identifying women’s motivations to participate in communal action in other domains; (ii) analyzing to what extent these motivations exist in forest climate actions; (iii) suggesting how forest climate actions can better motivate women’s participation.

Our paper presents an original mixed methods approach using data from two studies in different domains (health vs. forestry), objectives (feasibility study vs. impact evaluation), and data collection approach (key informant interviews vs. standardized surveys). Women’s motivations to participate in Posyandu (Pos Pelayanan Terpadu), a state-run infant and maternal health service system operated mostly by female collaborators (Kader), were contrasted with conditions shaping women’s participation in forest climate actions. Data were collected in the same period (2013–2014) in forested rural areas of Indonesia.

We find women are motivated by the following values they find lacking in forest climate actions: (1) altruistic values: improving other’s well-being through Posyandu, vs. limited benefits from forest climate actions; (2) social capital: enhancing own and family’s social status by participating in Posyandu, vs. limited social enhancement through forest climate action; and (3) identity enhancement: increasing own pride and competence when supporting an established organization like Posyandu, vs. no equivalent organization for women in forest climate action.

What would attract women to forest climate action? We suggest (1) tangible benefits from forest climate action for women and rural communities, so that women see forests are worth fighting for; (2) respected roles for women in public spheres related to forest climate actions; and (3) self-enhancement opportunities through village-level organizations and good employment opportunities aligned with forest climate actions.

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