Towards a gender perspective in the study of social movements. Women’s participation in the Platform for the Defence of the River Ebro

Abstract

This article illustrates how gender is an explanatory factor in the characteristics and forms of action of a social movement that is not based on gender issues: the protest against the National Hydrological Plan (year 2000) in Tarragona. It examines how gender roles and identities shape the political practices of female activists, in terms of motivation, handicaps, resistance and facilities for their political participation. With all of this, the article shows the usefulness of incorporating the gender perspective into the analysis of group action in order to achieve a more appropriate understanding of social mobilization processes.