Gender differences in environmental concern and perception

The end of the twentieth century was characterized by a surge of interest i n the impact of gender on environmental politics. Many people assert that w omen have a special relationship with the environment, leading to a link be ing assumed between women and environmental issuses in development planning . This article analyzes this assertion cross-culturally and, using field da ta from both North America and the global South as illustration, engages wi th a long-standing set of debates concerning the relationship between agenc y, structure, knowledge, and power and the ways in which these relationship s have been operationalized and conceptualized.