This Women’s History Month, explore women’s rights and animal rights with these titles.
For more than two centuries, the majority of activists in the animal rights movement have been women. But we remain underrepresented in senior leadership positions at US animal protection nonprofits. Open Philanthropy found that 70% of staff at farmed animal nonprofits are women, but only 40% of CEOs and board directors are. This trend matches what’s happening globally–women make up only 22% of executives and 27% of senior managers in business. The oppression of women and animals stems from the same social systems and institutions, such as patriarchy, racism, and capitalism. Learn more about feminist and animal rights theory and visions for a better future with these books.
The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegan Critical Theory by Carol J. Adams
Called “a bible of the vegan community” by The New York Times, The Sexual Politics of Meat is a foundational text for anyone new to the animal rights movement. It interrogates the relationship between patriarchy and eating meat, and explores misogyny, our culture’s obsession with eating animals, and how our decisions about food can become acts of resistance.
Aphro-ism: Essays on Pop Culture, Feminism, and Black Veganism from Two Sisters by Aph Ko, Syl Ko
This essay series is a must-read for people working toward collective liberation and who want to understand animal rights as part of a larger social justice movement. If you enjoy this book, you may also want to check out Racism as Zoological Witchcraft by Aph Ko. The book proposes a new social justice movement that breaks down the silos we currently operate in.
Ecofeminism: Feminist Intersections with Other Animals & The Earth edited by Carol J. Adams and Lori Gruen
Ecofeminism, a term that emerged in the 1970s, is a concept and movement that connects the exploitation of the natural world with the oppression of women. This anthology begins with a history of ecofeminist theory and activism and then moves to essays that look into how “sexism, heteronormativity, racism, colonialism, and ableism are informed by and support animal oppression.”
These books challenge us to see animal rights not as a single-issue cause, but as part of a broader struggle against oppression. Together, we can build a more inclusive movement that advances liberation for everyone.