Considerations around the theoretical discourse on gender and the environment in the ongoing socio-ecological transition

Purpose: This article synthesizes the process and outcomes of a literature review, aimed at finding out whether and how the implementation of some of the most prominent economic models for the sustainability transition – namely, the Green Economy, the Circular Economy, and Degrowth – may have backlashes in terms of gender inequality in the world of work. Outcomes will, hopefully, spur further scientific production and timely inform policymaking and lawmaking. Methodology: A narrative and general literature review was conducted on the topic of gender inequality in the world of work in the socio-ecological transition towards sustainable productive and economic systems. The sources included: electronic databases, academic libraries, archives of relevant organizations and institutions, conference proceedings, existing networks and the network created for the purposes of the ENTRUST research project. The search returned an extremely heterogeneous body of scientific literature. Grey literature constituted a relevant amount of the analyzed items, mainly including documents and reports of relevant international institutions. Findings: The results of the literature review are considerable, as critical perspectives emerged with regards to all the investigated economic models for the socio-ecological transition. It appears that, to a different extent, the implementation of all the three considered models, respectively, would have backlashes in terms of new or exacerbated gender inequality in the world of work.