What does ecofeminist mean?
An ecofeminist is a person who embraces ecofeminism, a school of thought holding that the exploitation of the natural environment and the subordination of women arise from the same underlying patterns of domination and should therefore be confronted together. The word combines 'eco-' (from Greek oikos, meaning home or household, the same root found in ecology) with 'feminist', reflecting the movement's founding claim, articulated by French writer Françoise d'Eaubonne in 1974, that ecological survival and gender equality are inseparable goals. Ecofeminists appear most often in academic writing on philosophy and political theory, in activist circles, and in journalism covering environmental campaigns. The term is typically neutral to positive in tone, though it signals an explicitly political stance. It works equally well as a noun describing individuals and as an attributive adjective modifying terms like theory, critique, or movement.
A person who advocates ecofeminism: the view that the domination of women and the degradation of the natural world are interconnected and should be opposed together.
"Vandana Shiva is often cited as one of the world's best-known ecofeminists."
Plural: ecofeminists.
Relating to or characterized by ecofeminism; used especially before nouns such as theory, critique, or movement.
"She published an influential ecofeminist critique of industrial agriculture."
Almost always appears attributively rather than predicatively.
Standard plural applies when referring to multiple adherents of ecofeminism.
"Early ecofeminists drew attention to how pollution burdens fell hardest on poor communities of women."
The term was coined in 1974 by French writer Françoise d'Eaubonne, who argued that saving the planet required dismantling patriarchy — two causes she insisted were one.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ecofeminist
The word 'ecofeminist' derives from 'ecofeminism', a term coined by French writer Françoise d'Eaubonne in her 1974 work Le Féminisme ou la Mort, blending the combining form 'eco-' (from Greek oikos, 'house, dwelling') with 'feminism'. It entered English usage through translated discussions of d'Eaubonne's ideas and became established within Anglophone academic and activist literature from the 1980s onward. Its components share roots with 'ecology' (coined by Ernst Haeckel in 1866 from the same Greek source) and with 'feminine' and 'femininity', which trace back through Latin femina, 'woman'.
Related word forms
How ecofeminist is actually used
The term is primarily used in academic, activist, and journalistic contexts discussing environmental politics and feminism; it carries a politically engaged connotation and may be adopted proudly by adherents or used descriptively by observers. It functions chiefly as a noun but frequently appears attributively ('ecofeminist perspective').
Easily confused with ecofeminist
A feminist focuses on gender equality generally, whereas an ecofeminist specifically holds that women's oppression and environmental destruction stem from linked systems of domination.