When Gender Matters: Equality as a Source of Arctic Sustainability?

Amid the variety of changes taking place in the Arctic, social changes have historically gained less attention in Arctic research and politics. The turn of the millennium has marked a shift in the focus as issues of human development and social sustainability have made their way onto Arctic agendas. Arctic research and politics alike have come to observe the increasing impacts of migration and changing demography, and to a greater degree, people of the Arctic have been recognized as the resource for the region. However, as this chapter argues, questions of gender have been sidetracked from the discussions of social sustainability and human resources, despite the growing significance that gender plays in Arctic development.
The chapter sheds light on the connections of gender, equality and sustainability in the Arctic. By analyzing social scientific Arctic research and documents produced under the auspices of the Arctic Council, it offers an account of the ways in which discussions of gender and sustainability have meshed in the 21st century. The approach of the chapter stems from feminist theory and its discussions of equality. As the chapter shows, despite the emergence of gender-specific Arctic research and politics, gender continues to be an unknown resource in the Arctic.