Taya Godfrey

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology

Mentor: Dr. Mehmet Soyer

Feminism in Fracking: An Analyzation of Women’s Activism Regarding Hydraulic Fracturing

We have seen in recent times an increase in awareness and activism regarding environment issues, we have also seen a greater interest in women’s rights and gender equality. By looking at the intersectionality of these two public issues we can greater understand both. We have chosen to look at the specific relationship between hydraulic fracturing and women’s activism. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as oil fracking is a process through which natural gas and oil is obtained by drilling deep within the earth and injecting water and other chemicals to fracture shale rock and therefore release natural resources. As we have evaluated previous research that has been done regarding oil fracking we have noticed that there are an increasing number of women who lead and identify with anti-fracking organizations. This peaked our interest and we began to ask why women are increasingly motivated to become activists, as well as how women are opposing fracking and if these methods are effective. The researchers for this project gathered data using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The participants in this study consisted of community members from Denton, Texas. There were a total of 8 female activists from Frack Free Denton (FFD). We then evaluated and coded these interviews and looked for patterns using a grounded research theory.