A “Pattern Language” for Women in Permaculture

7/21/2019 A Pattern Language for Women in Permaculture

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A Pattern Language for Women in

Permaculture

This article by Karryn Olson-Ramanujan was published in the Permaculture Activist magaine inAugust o! "#$%& This version is edited slightly' with longer captions' more pictures' and hyperlin(s&

)lic( here!or a pd! version o! the article&

Also' you can listen to an interview about this topic on thePermaculture Podcast*loo( !or the April "%'"#$+ episode&

Though women receive the majority of all college degrees in the U.S., and are well represented in the

work force, they are very under-represented in positions of high-level leadership. Most of the women

Ive encountered in permaculture note analogous patterns! often, women constitute "#$ or more of theparticipants in %&'s, yet occupy disproportionately few of the positions of leadership and prominence

in lucrative roles, such as designers, teachers, authors, speakers, or (permaculture superstars.)

To address this situation, this article drafts (* %attern +anguage for omen in %ermaculture.) ach

pattern can e applied in many ways and names a core solution to a prolem that undermines womensfull participation and leadership. /ust as words connect to form a language, one can connect these

patterns to form a language that descries good social design practices.

This approach is modeled after the ook,A Pattern ,anguage, y 'hristopher *le0ander et al, in which

the authors write, )ach pattern may e looked upon as a hypothesis1 and are therefore all tentative,all free to evolve under the impact of new e0perience and oservation.) Using the same analogy, I

invite your input to help craft this new language.

Pattern 1: Shift mental models

hat are mental models2 They are deeply ingrained generali3ations that influence how we understandthe world and how we take action. The prolem with mental models arises when we are unaware ofthem4so they remain une0amined, yet govern our ehavior.

&r. 5irginia 5alian, &istinguished %rofessor of %sychology at 6unter 'ollege and 'o-&irector of its

(7ender 8uity %roject,) studies (gender schemas)4our unaware assumptions aout what it means to

e male or female in our society, and the (accumulation of advantage.(

5alian shows that women leaders are measured against (masculine) characteristics for leadership,

competence, and assertiveness. *s a result, oth men and women consistently overrate mens

performance, while women are underrated. (hatever emphasi3es a mans gender gives him a small

advantage, a plus mark& hatever accentuates a womans gender results in a small loss for her, a minusmark,) states 5alian in her ook,hy .o .low/ The Advancement o! omen.

*ccumulation of small disadvantages for women stalls or slows their path to leadership and

undermines their earning potential. To illustrate this, 5alian cites research in which a computer

simulation egins with e8ual numers of new male and female employees. * tiny ias4only 9$ of thevariaility in promotion4in favor of men is programmed into many iterations of simulated opportunities

for promotion. In the end, men occupied :"$ of the highest positions in the organi3ation.

e can see this dynamic in the US. *ccording to the hite 6ouse %roject, in their (;enchmarking

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https://web.archive.org/web/20141123154432/http://seedsustainabilityconsulting.com/pc-activist-women-in-pc/https://web.archive.org/web/20141123154432/http://www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/https://web.archive.org/web/20141123154432/http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/gendertutorial/slides/gt02.htmhttp://libgen.org/book/index.php?md5=5cc0e96b95dc5b80e6b551b83fb858c5http://libgen.org/book/index.php?md5=5cc0e96b95dc5b80e6b551b83fb858c5https://web.archive.org/web/20141123154432/http://www.ncrw.org/content/white-house-project-benchmarking-womens-leadership-0https://web.archive.org/web/20141123154432/http://www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/https://web.archive.org/web/20141123154432/http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/gendertutorial/slides/gt02.htmhttp://libgen.org/book/index.php?md5=5cc0e96b95dc5b80e6b551b83fb858c5https://web.archive.org/web/20141123154432/http://www.ncrw.org/content/white-house-project-benchmarking-womens-leadership-0https://web.archive.org/web/20141123154432/http://seedsustainabilityconsulting.com/pc-activist-women-in-pc/


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omens +eadership) report, women receive the majority of all college degrees, make up almost half

of the workforce, and are well represented in entry- and mid-level positions in most sectors of theeconomy. 6owever, women occupy on average only 9. ?urther, the wage gap for women means that they make @


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5alians studies also relate to numers of women in the workplace! (1eing a minority increases a

womans likelihood of eing judged in terms of her difference from the male majority, rather than interms of her actual performance. 6er minority status highlights her gender and, accordingly, makes her

seem less appropriate for the jo, which seems more masculine ecause of the large numer of men

filling it.)

6owever, the impact of gender schemas is reduced or eliminated when women are more numerous in agroup! (1researchers found that womens performance ratings were more negative than mens when

women were only 9-9#$ of a work groupC somewhat less negative when women constituted 99-D#$,and shifted to more positive when women were "#$ or more of a group.)

*long these lines, +inda Tarr-helan shows when E#$ of the people at power tales are women,organi3ations reach a tipping point. omen can then change agendas, inform goals, allocate resources,

and impact the style in which goals are achieved. 'ultural stereotypes are altered so that women are no

longer seen as women, ut as professionals.

Serving as a classic e0ample of win-win solutions, a critical mass of women at top levels not onlyenefits individual women, ut also leads to etter government and etter usiness outcomes. The

(;enchmarking omens +eadership) report states, (* growing ody of research demonstrates that

womens Arisk-smart leadership is perfectly suited to what our nation needs to get on the right track.)

?urther, (1women tend to include diverse viewpoints in decision making, have a roader conceptionof pulic policy, and are also more likely to work through differences to form coalitions, complete

ojectives, and ring disenfranchised communities to the tale.)

Tarr-helan challenges all of us to look at our organi3ations, and if we notice that women are in less

than E#$ of leadership positions, to start a conversation aout the enefits of womens leadership. ecan ask, (hat is the landscape for women in permaculture in our circles2) If not at parity, we can set

policy to have E#$ of our oards, teaching teams, speakers lists, etc., occupied y 8ualified women.

They are out there, and we can find them y replacing the 8uestion, (ho do I know2) with (hodont I know2)

Pattern 3: alue diversity

This permaculture design principle is true for oth natural and human systems. &iverse groups performetter than homogenous groups when it comes to decision making, not only ecause of input from the

minority group, ut also, in the case of ethnic diversity, ecause white participants improved the 8ualityof their participation, according to a D##< Tufts University study. *nother D#9D study shows that

heterogeneous groups are more apt to make ethical decisions. Bther studies reveal that (diverse groups

almost always outperform homogenous groups, even if the people in a homogenous group are morecapale.) This reveals a pattern for optimi3ing human organi3ations.

Starhawk, an e0pert on 7oddess religion, earth ased spirituality and activism, offers arth *ctivist

Trainings=*T>. *T has developed a two-pronged approach to capacity uilding! 9> y uilding long-

standing relationships to support communities with unmet needsC and D> y reinvesting surplus fundsinto diversity scholarships, which in this case, were offered for people of color. (It was tremendously

successful4we went from 9-D$ of our course eing people of color to perhaps F#$.) Starhawkemphasi3ed that inviting more than one person of color to the course ensures that they have support andavoids tokenism, shifts the whole dynamic of the course and is very enriching. It is also important for

teachers to have training in the factors that create arriers to full participation and to e prepared to

facilitate the stuff that may come up when we ecome a diverse group. (?or permaculture to succeed inchanging the world, it has got to move eyond the usual suspects and emrace the wide diversity of the

world we live in.)

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Pattern !: "ntersectin# "dentities

This article cannot speak for all women in permaculture4the women I was ale to contact for

interviews through electronic social media on rather short notice were mostly of uropean descent,from industriali3ed nations. *ll of the women I interviewed voiced concerns aout permaculture

presently eing accessile to mostly white, middle class folks in their regions. Moreover, we know that

women are active in permaculture elsewhere in the world and we want to create etter networks withthose women, as the (women in permaculture) movement must include multiple perspectives informed

y diversity of age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, geographic area, class, physical aility, educationallevel, se0ual orientation, and gender identity. Indeed, the women of color in the feminist movement of

the :#s added a new dimension y pointing out that the e0periences of women are not homogenous, utthat the intersection of identities and discriminations forms e0periences and perspectives that are

critical to humanitys understanding of oppression.

Similarly,%andora Thomas, a rising

permaculture leader in the San ?rancisco ;ay*rea says, (There hasnt een enough work

done around permaculture principles

translating them for the people care ethic, sonow theres this misconception that

permaculture is aout farming and gardening,which it isnt4its mostly aout relationships.Its aout looking at systemic prolems and

finding relationship-ased whole system

solutions2and one of most vital systemicissues, along with the status of women, is

cultural and racial ine8uity.) Thomas elieves

the phrase (women in permaculture) fails to

acknowledge that there are many types ofwomen who are treated in such divergent ways,

with lack women often finding themselves

invisile in conversations aout women inpermaculture. *t the same time, many women from diverse ackgrounds are engaged in and taking

leadership around permaculture design, she said.

(I can name ten *frican or *frican *merican women in

the U.S. who have een trained or are using apermaculture design approach, ut often times they are

linking it to roader social movements as well and

naming these solutions so they are relevant for ourcommunity. ?or e0ample, in 'hicago, Gaomi &avis has

started the 7reen 5illage Modelthat is ased on ethics

and solutions that are similar to permaculture. e cant

just talk aout eing a woman in permaculture, for*frican *merican females, ecause our entire

communities are suffering1it is aout survivalH * lot of

us are trying to figure out how to save our sons as wellas our daughters.) Thomas said. She also made a point

to acknowledge that many white women in the U.S. and

aroad are making these connections etween

+

Pandora Thomas showing her great niece the three

sisters0 corn' s8uash and beans in her hometown in

le6 Kruger sharing soil testing s(ills with

women on the )ape 9lats in )ape Town'
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permaculture and social justice.

In South *frica, ecovillagerand permaculture teacherdesigner *le0 Jruger shared that after ;ill

Mollisons lecture tour in 9KK9, the permaculture movement started very slowly and was (terrilymiddle class and 8uite pale) for some time ecause the entrenched economic disparities from the

apartheid era still form arriers to participation. Indeed, two of the iggest permaculture G7Bs =which

were founded y women> have found traction y addressing issues highly relevant for local citi3ens!/eunesse %ark started (?ood and Trees for *frica) to address sustainale development through food

security and food systems, educational efforts, and climate change action. +eigh ;rowns organi3ation,S&, incorporates permaculture into school curricula and uilding outdoor classrooms. S& is also

developing uran models of permaculture in lower income areas of 'ape Town.

Pattern $: entorin# is &ey to 'uildin# women(s leadership

Some of the women interviewed talked aout finding

great satisfaction in learning and teaching the (hard

skills) for permaculture. Some mentioned that it wouldhave een easier if they had female mentors to facilitate

their mastery of these skills. Many said that mentoring

other women is a part of their present work. They

universally agreed that women mentoring women isvital for uilding professional leadership skills.

+isa &e%iano, a permaculture designer and teacher in

the Gortheastern US, feels called to mentor other

women. (Im offering teaching apprenticeships, anddesigninstall apprenticeships. Theres a demand for it,

and it strengthens our networks,) she said.

+esley ;yrne, a permaculturist working internationally

with children and rural susistence farmers througheducational gardens, sums it up this way! (%art of

leadership is setting an e0ample for others to follow in

your path, mentoring, forward thinking, eing a pioneerand taking risks. Lounger women come to me for advice

on how to navigate through the male dominance of

permaculture and younger people come to me forguidance whether it e in the field of international aid or

striking out on their own.)

Pattern ): alue archetypically feminine ways of leadin#

The women I interviewed agreed that although some 8ualities are considered archetypically

(masculine,) and others archetypically (feminine,) they are 8ualities availale to all humans and notnecessarily tied to gender. e need to value the archetypically (feminine) 8ualities.

(Ive een sitting with the 8uestion of how deeply ingrained cultural dynamics of patriarchy are, and

the reality that they are so deep that they ecome invisile. e fall into a trap of defining leadership in

a very masculine way that reflects how we define what is of value, so starting from the first premise,we are flawed4ecause there are actually many ways leadership can look.) 4+indsay &ailey

:

Abrah ;resdale


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(There often is a ias that the guys who work with ig

machines are the ones who really know, and thetechnical skills are most important. They are e0tremely

valuale, ut the social skills are often the real

constraining factor in moving from the theory to the

practice,) said Starhawk. (%eople often go off and set upa wonderful intentional community and the ne0t thing

you know they are all fighting and reak up. *lso,

women are often constrained from traveling ecause offamilies, so they may not e in position to do ig se0y

international projects. * lot of women are working

locally and are committed to working on their own homefronts and we need to learn to value those things more as

well.)

(*lthough we talk aout people care, I find that most

men shy away from nutrition, medicinals, kitchengardens, flowers, etc., as it is viewed as womens work,

Aless than or too Asoft in some ways.) +esley ;yrne

said. She emphasi3ed the need for these elements inparts of the world where poverty is greatest. (e talk

aout the power of patterns and oservation, ut we

really dont address cultures and families as we should.

This is where women have their own strengths, and Ithink its aout time

we use that to our advantage and create something new within

permaculture.)

Indeed, women are e0perimenting with financially sustainalemodels for permaculture education and organi3ing that enale

mothers and families to attend. /eanine 'arlson,co-founder of the

omens %ermaculture +eadership Initiative, outlined a modelwhere there is morning childcare, shared lunch, then hands-on

learning that includes the children in the community. ('hildren

arent just tolerated ut welcomed, honored, and educated,) shesaid.

(e include the cost of childcare in tuition as we feel it is

everyones responsiility to foster the future generations and accept

how to incorporate them in community education models.) Thismodel ensures the children are cared for y estalished local,

licensed caregivers who are paid a generous living wage, yet the

costs for childcare remain low for families. (e want to make

permaculture and permaculture-related education increasinglyaccessile for women with young families as a potential source of

livelihood, or as we call it, thrivelihood'so we model the potential

for doing so. ho, save the mothers raising children, are moreinvested in our future generations potential to thrive2) 'arlson

says&

?

4llustration $0 ,esley @yrne in A!ghanistan&hile living alone in a tent !or !our months'

the men she wor(ed with were very respect!ul&

They even adopted puppies !or herunheardo! in a Buslim country& 3pon departure' all

were in tears& As a woman 4 had an

advantage over estern men because 4 wasnot viewed as a threat' which allowed them to

let their guards down and !or me to ma(e

much more headway training the !armers in

)hildren planting pump(ins&Photo by C
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Pattern *: +urture women,s leadership throu#h women,s #atherin#s

(The womens permaculture gatherings have een really wonderful, and I recommend to women to

find ways to get together and connect. ;ecause it gives us a chance to get to know each other, findways to support each other, it gives the women teachers the chance to get some prominence, its one of

the important ways we can uild a culture of support for women.) 4Starhawk.

*ssociate &irector of the ildlands %rogram at the Bccidental *rts cology 'enter, +indsay &ailey

is co-founder of 5illa Sorante! a permaculture and natural uilding community and demonstration site.

She relates her positive e0perience from womens gatherings, (*s Ive come to emrace my ownfeminine 8ualities of receptivity and intuition, I am trusting myself more and more and enjoy

surrounding myself with women who are walking their path and tuning into their power.)

(?ew, if any forces in human affairs are as powerful as shared vision,) says %eter Senge, a guru forlearning organi3ations. *t the upcoming Gortheastern omens %ermaculture 7athering in the fall of

D#9E, articulating goals for women in permaculture will e one suggested theme. *s women organi3e

in regions, their voices can then shape the movement at large.

Pattern -: .e an /lly

/enny %ell, a former tree planter, helicopter pilot, carpenter, and yurt uilder who now manages her

growing full-service designuild company, %ermaculture GowH,says, (Im working with some

awesome men right now who are eing inspired y my leadership. I elieve theres a great appreciationfor strong female guidance at this juncture, and the fact that powerful guys are turning to women for

leadership really speaks volumes.)

/enny, like all the women I encounter in permaculture circles, echoes my firm conviction! e are

memers in the guild of humanity with men whom we also want to flourish. *lmost all interviewees,who voiced strong frustrations, also shared their appreciation for the men in their lives that had acted as

allies y mentoring them or supporting their leadership.

Men are invited into the circle to learn aout the dynamics of oppression, how se0ism hurts women andmen, and how to move from privilege y uilding their skills as allies. The pamphlet (%rivilege and*llyship)from the Multicultural Nesource 'enter at Berlin 'ollege defines an ally as (a memer of

the Adominant or Amajority group who 8uestions or rejects the dominant ideology and works against

oppression through support of, and as an advocate, with or for, the oppressed population.)

Men can e allies to women in many ways, and are especially invited to take an active role in anti-harassment policies, ecause men do most se0ual harassment of women. (Se0ual harassment is handled

D
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adly in two ways! when we ignore it, and when we communicate policies in a way that is too heavy

handed,) according to Starhawk. *T has a policy against teachers getting romantically involved withstudents during courses. They also set a tone early in the course y discussing healthy oundaries with

students, like (no means no, and yes means yes.) They also invite people who can function as allies to

self-identify. This creates safe space, clarifies e0pectations, and uilds community. Indeed, one can

ecome an ally to any historically marginali3ed group. ;y doing so, we manifest the ?air Share ethicy (sharing) our privilegeH

+et me conclude this article y e0pressing my gratitude for the many women and men who providedinput, inspiration, and support. Some day, Ill share the longer version, which outlines a systems

thinking approach that undergirds my analysis of prolems and informs the solutions that I presentedhere. It also includes more compelling anecdotes from interviewees.

I look forward to ongoing conversations and co-evolution of the ideas presented here. It is my hope that

this process of women drafting a self-determined pattern language for our engagement in permaculture

will serve as a template for other historically marginali3ed groups to do the same4so that together withour allies, we can design a language for a truly inclusive, empowering, and regenerative movement.

The !irst annual omen in Permaculture in the >ortheastern 3&.& was hosted by the Omega 4nstitute

in Rhinebec(' >1 on !rom Oct "#-""' "#$%&

Source! https!we.archive.orgweD#9F99DE9"FFEDhttp!seedsustainailityconsulting.comwomen-

in-permaculture-article-in-permaculture-activist

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A “Pattern Language” for Women in Permaculture