PATRIARCHY ONLY WANTS SONS: GENDER CONSIDERATIONS AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This article analyzes unsustainable agricultural and livestock production in Paraguay from a gender perspective, highlighting its socio-environmental impacts and its contribution to climate change. Paraguay, with the most unequal land distribution in the world, bases its economy on soy and livestock (94% of which is exported), exacerbating deforestation, climate change, and poverty. Rural women face gender violence, gaps in access to land (14.9% are landowners), and lower wages, despite their key role in food production and family care. State policies prioritize agro industrial expansion without a gender perspective or real sustainability. Faced with this, peasant and Indigenous women are leading resistance movements: defending territories (teko/tekoha concepts), opposing monocultures such as eucalyptus plantations, and creating ‘‘soup kitchens’’ during the pandemic. The article concludes that the hegemonic patriarchal model deepens inequalities, while women are building alternatives focused on food sovereignty and community well-being.