Maternidade, consumo e sustentabilidade sob a ótica ecofeminista

Abstract

Current western societies try to influence women, particularly mothers; regarding their behavior and conduct in relation to the way they raise their children. Through practices ingrained and established, it is spread that everything derived from technology and development is better and consequently brings more benefits to the child than those which are natural and instinctive. The practice of arranged caesareans, the use of artificial milk, the non-use of a shared bed or room, as well as the use of industrialized and processed foods in the diet of the children to be, “modern” and “contemporary”. On the contrary, a natural birth, breast feeding and the practice of a shared bed, as well as foods based on natural products are “outdated”, “inconvenient” and “old-fashioned”. However, current practices derived from “development” not only fail to bring health benefits to the children, but are also not “sustainable” processes. They have high production costs, generate waste and harmful disposal to the environment and to the Earth’s natural resources. Ecofeminism understands the mitigation of female leadership and the exploration of nature are consequences of the same phenomenon; male domination over both that exists in systems of oppression as well as patriarchate. Through various assumptions which put women and nature in a regime of submission, treat women as incompetent and incapable of raising their children and nature as a mere source of resources, there to be degraded and exploited. The philosophy of ecofeminism theoretically underlies this, as does this study, and addresses within their different branches, the illusion that everything “technological” and “developed” is better than what is “natural” and “instinctive”, when in reality, what happens is the exact opposite; the return to our origins and primitive practices related to maternity, as well as being sustainable are infinitely better for the health of our future generations.