Invisible Sustainability: Gendered Circular Resource Practices and Household Climate Resilience in Rural Bangladesh
Md. Eftekhan Mahmud Asik
Md. Eftekhan Mahmud Asik, Department of Sociology, Govt. Titumir College, affiliated to University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Manuscript received on 31 August 2026 | Revised Manuscript received on 07 September 2026 | Manuscript Accepted on 15 September 2026 | Manuscript published on 30 September 2026 | PP: 53-63 | Volume-6 Issue-1, September 2026 | Retrieval Number: 100.1/ijssl.A125306010926 | DOI: 10.54105/ijssl.A1253.06010926
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© The Authors. Published by Lattice Science Publication (LSP). This is an open-access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: Households are not just sites of consumption but dynamic systems that constantly manage, reuse and recirculate resources through everyday practices. This study investigates the household activities of rural women through the lens of ‘household circular resource systems’ (HCRS) to demonstrate how the system generates and contributes to environmental sustainability and household resilience and survives in local resource circulation. This study used qualitative methods and collected data through 35 in-depth interviews, participant observation, and household activity mapping from 30 purposively selected rural households in six villages in Pabna and Sirajganj districts. The data were analysed thematically. The findings suggest that the cyclical use of food waste, water, and compostbased nutrients produces interrelated processes. These processes collectively contribute to environmental sustainability and household resilience through continuous resource regeneration, reduced household waste and expenses, and improved food security and water management. Moreover, the results show that the traditional HCRS is maintained through complex interactions among women’s productive family resources, intergenerational ecological knowledge, and unpaid domestic labour. Rural women also perceive the circular system as a culturally embedded family custom. However, the level of circularity varies with the number of family-owned animals and arable land. Changing rural lifestyles, marked by greater reliance on commercial agricultural products and less control over property and livestock, are slowly undermining traditional circular techniques. This study advances sustainability and circular economy scholarship by conceptualising HCRS as a localised socio-ecological framework. It suggests that sustainable rural development policies should include family adaptability by acknowledging regional environmental practices, encouraging small-scale animal production, and giving residents greater access to fertile land to foster sustainability and resilience in rural society.
Keywords: Household Circular Resource Systems (HCRS); Invisible Sustainability; Household Climate Resilience; Gendered Everyday Practices; Rural Bangladesh.
Scope of the Article: Gender Study