Gender and forest resources in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Numerous empirical studies have highlighted how women experience gender-based disadvantages in accessing, using, and exercising control over forest resources. This paper consolidates and analyses the increasingly rich empirical literature on gender and forest resources within low- and middle-income countries to unravel the multifaceted factors contributing to gender disparities. A systematic literature review comprising 135 studies was conducted analysing the gendered division of labour, access to and use of resources, decision-making power, and underlying gender norms. From the synthesis of these studies, we identify three key dimensions of gender norms affecting ‘gender and forest resources’. These can be conceptualised in terms of (1) gendered space, (2) gendered hardship of labour, and (3) gendered purpose of collecting and using forest resources. Each of these dimensions is characterized by internal contradictions, leading to a blurriness of what the norms dictate (‘what should be’) and the actual practices or reality (‘what is’). This begs the question: do the observed contradictions hinder the reinforcement of critical gender norms, or do they mark the beginning of a transformative shift in gender norms concerning forest resources?