Spaces for Gender Equality in Sustainable Utopias : Investigations into the dreams and realities of women in ecovillage settings in Brazil

Utopian thinking can be understood as an exploration of desires beyond current realities. Seeing ecovillages as spaces for utopian practices, the aim is to investigate what space exists for gender equality and how the utopianism can be used to challenge unwanted patterns. Grounded theory is used to build knowledge from women’s experiences gathered through qualitative interviews. By mapping desires in relation to utopia, it is found that while visions of the sustainable life are seen as attainable, attaining gender equality through equal division of household work is hindered by lack of visions, examples and spaces for discussion of alternatives.