Women’s Environmental Advocacy in Cities: Motivations, Activities, Outcomes and Challenges

Abstract

This paper explores women’s grassroots environmental activism in Polish cities through the lenses of ecofeminism, feminist geography, environmental justice, and moral geography. Focusing on six case studies in Warsaw, Kraków, and Wrocław—including initiatives protecting the Oder, Vistula and Wilga rivers, as well as urban green spaces such as Grabiszyński Park, Wawer Bend and Kliny—the research investigates the motivations, strategies, outcomes and challenges of women-led environmental advocacy. The study employs a mixed-methods approach combining media discourse analysis, field observations, thirteen in-depth interviews with activists, and a survey of 600 female residents. Findings show that care for nature, health, future generations and environmental justice are central motivations for engagement. Women activists use a combination of community organising, environmental monitoring, public education, artistic interventions and advocacy to protect ecosystems and influence planning processes. Their actions contribute to biodiversity protection, public awareness, procedural changes and more inclusive forms of participation. However, activists also face barriers such as gender-based patronisation, institutional resistance, time constraints and burnout. The paper argues that women’s environmental activism in post-socialist cities advances environmental justice and offers alternative, more inclusive approaches to environmental governance and urban planning.