The Role of Women in Sustainable Development of the Environment

oday, sustainable development, in most social and economic planning, is considered as one of the key concepts.The term "development," focuses on improving of the quality of life and promoting of the welfare of society, whilst "stability," refers to the continuation of this process throughout the generations of mankind.Therefore, sustainable development can be defined as being a development that meets the needs of current generations without impairing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.One of the basic requirements of sustainable development is proper use of available resources.This paper examines the role of women in sustainable development in the environmental dimension, as being extremely important and invaluable. In agenda 21 of the Rio Summit, women are considered as being one of the main groups in achieving sustainable development.The paper also reviews available literature on the role of women in sustainable development, particularly in the environmental dimension, using data from the World Values Survey for 50 countries. The article investigates the organizational and practical actions of women on environmental issues.Research findings indicate that women in most countries, in contrast to their male counterparts, participate actively in environmental protection and conservation of resources, whilst in the areas of setting up the structures of organization, and participation in environmental decision making, they lack active participation. The study of environmental action of women in the different generations’ groups, shows middle-aged women are involved in more practical actions to protect the environment, whereas, the younger generations are more active in environmental organizations.