An intersectional analysis of women's experiences in forest carbon monitoring in Peru, Cameroon and Nepal

Abstract

Gender equity has progressed unequally within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, with geosciences and specifically the Earth Observation (EO) field remaining largely unbalanced. Limited work has centred women's experiences in forest carbon monitoring (FCM), a field that combines EO and in situ data collection. Fewer studies have focused on perceptions of women from Latin America, Africa and Asia. This study examines participants in SilvaCarbon, an interagency technical cooperation program of the U.S. Government to build FCM capacity in tropical countries, where fewer women have historically participated as participants or training leaders. To better understand barriers that women face in FCM, we analyse personal narratives shared by women in Peru, Cameroon and Nepal. The framework of intersectionality facilitates exploration of intersectional identities in concert with gender that affect women in three distinct country contexts. Findings indicate that individuals' opportunities in FCM are affected by multiple combined identities and circumstances at the personal and structural levels, and through socially constructed, attributed, and perceived identities.