The gender dimension in ecology: Perspectives from a diversity of approaches

Abstract

Ecology is science not exempt from gender inequality. Although women now represent nearly one-third of the global research workforce, their academic trajectories remain marked by the ‘leaky pipeline’ and the ‘glass ceiling’ —symptoms of hierarchies sustained by sexist stereotypes—. In response to this reality, spaces of resistance are emerging, inviting us to rethink ecology through a gender perspective. This perspective seeks to expose the social relations that organize, legitimize and perpetuate hierarchies based on sexual differences and sexist stereotypes. It also aims to identify and address the inequalities women face in academia. This involves not only understanding how knowledge is constructed under historical biases —challenging assumptions of objectivity, neutrality, and universality—, but also questioning science’s supposed objectivity and neutrality, all while incorporating historically invisible dimensions (e.g., territoriality and community-based knowledge). In this special issue we present twelve articles by women authors from six Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay). These contributions encompass theoretical and political debates, bibliometric reviews, and field-based case studies that document gaps in scientific productivity, academic leadership, and workplace violence, while also highlighting collective experiences, methodological innovations, and biocultural conservation efforts led by women. Together, these studies demonstrate that gender inequality in Latin American ecology is multifactorial, manifesting in laboratories, classrooms, research fields and rural and Indigenous territories. By making these patterns visible and proposing actionable pathways —from collaborative leadership to integrating local knowledge into public policy—, this volume shows that a more equitable ecology is also an epistemologically stronger and socially relevant science.