ENVIRONMENT | HEALTH
Re-Gendering Climate Change, Pt 1: The Feminine Urge to Care About the Environment
WORDS BY LAURA DARCEY | DARCEY@PROXYBYIWI.COM | 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Why do women make more environmentally conscious decisions compared to men? Perhaps because women are taught to be more altruistic,
or because environmentalism is targeted towards women. On the other hand, many perceive
eco-friendly behaviours to be ‘feminine’, requiring men to betray their masculinity to engage. What’s undeniable is that addressing the climate crisis requires the engagement of more than just 50% of the population.
Rising temperatures, more extreme weather events and an impending sense of doom. We’re all feeling the impacts of climate change and the existential threat it poses to humanity… aren’t we?
Studies have found that while climate change will affect us all, women are far more likely than men to change their consumption habits to be more environmentally friendly. Whether it be carrying a tote bag to the supermarket, switching to eco-friendly beauty and menstrual products, opting for plant-based alternatives over cow’s milk, or consciously investing in ethical clothing brands, many women make significant changes to their habits with the hopes of minimising their impact on the planet.
A Gender Gap in Climate Responsibility
A UK study found that 71 percent of women were committing to living more eco-friendly lives, compared to 59 percent of men. Despite having, on average, a smaller carbon footprint, women are more likely to take on the guilt-ridden brunt of earth-saving.
Some suggest that women are more likely to play this role because they are simply more altruistic, and therefore more likely to care for the planet. Women have traditionally been associated with roles involving nurturing and caretaking, which could extend to concerns about environmental preservation and future generations’ well-being.
Research also suggests that women often show a stronger inclination toward collaboration, community engagement, and collective problem-solving. This compounds the belief that by working together, and making personal sacrifices, it is possible for humanity to make a change and save the planet for the most vulnerable and future generations.
On the contrary, men are more likely to believe that technological advancements or institutional interventions hold the key to resolving climate change and are more likely to question the impact of their individual actions on larger environmental issues. This can lead to a dissonance, believing the responsibility for climate action rests on someone else’s shoulders.
These socialisation disparities are further compounded by eco-marketing, which is primarily targeted towards women. So much so, that green branding is almost synonymous with pink branding. Women often make many household purchasing decisions, and frequently make choices that align with eco-friendly products and practices. As a result, many eco-friendly products have been marketed using imagery, language and themes that align with stereotypical feminine values such as nurturing, caring for the environment, and community well-being. This marketing approach has reinforced the association between environmentalism and femininity.
But men and people of all genders actively engage in and champion eco-friendly practices. Perceiving climate-friendly behaviour as being an exclusively feminine trait has alienated a significant segment of the population. This has been reinforced by toxic masculinity, marked by a strict adherence to traditional masculine norms, emphasising dominance, aggression, emotional suppression, and the avoidance of behaviours perceived as ‘feminine’.
As societal norms label personal environmental efforts as ‘feminine,’ it presents a challenge in engaging men, as some fear that participating may compromise their sense of masculinity.
Masculinity and Environmentalism
Masculinity, like femininity, should not be suppressed or vilified. But toxic masculinity can have disastrous effects in many realms of life, including climate efforts.
In contrast to feminine eco-marketing, American media has cemented meat as a gendered food option to boost sales of certain products, associating consuming meat with notions of strength, power and virility, appealing to traditional ideas of masculinity. Unsurprisingly, in the US men consume about 57 percent more meat than women.
Studies have shown that both men and women see caring about the environment as ‘feminine’. One study threatened the masculinity of male participants by giving them a pink gift card with a floral design and asking them to imagine making three purchases with the card (lamp, backpack and batteries). Compared to men shown a standard gift card, men who had their masculinity threatened were more likely to choose the non-green rather than green version of each item.
Male participants in another study were more likely to say they’d donate to a non-profit called “Wilderness Rangers” which had an illustration of a wolf, versus a non-profit called “Friends of Nature”, which had an illustration of a tree. Further, a study by the same researchers in which men were affirmed in their masculinity before and after making a purchase, found these men were more likely to buy a non-toxic cleaning product.
There are many men who are deliberate about choosing behaviour that is environmentally conscientious. However, a body of research sheds light on societal perceptions of environmentally conscious conduct and how these perceptions influence actual actions.
Belittling men for masculine traits will not help the environmental crisis, in fact it might exacerbate the issue by prompting men to intensify their defence of their masculinity, potentially leading to decisions that harm the environment.
Inviting Men to Take Individual Responsibility
Creating messaging that appeals to different aspects of masculinity can invite men to engage in eco-friendly practices. This can be achieved through highlighting how environmental responsibility aligns with traits like leadership, problem solving and providing for future generations.
Men were more likely to consider buying a hybrid car when shown a ‘masculine’ advert than when shown a typical advert. Diversifying the way that environmentally friendly products are advertised will engage new sections of consumers, hopefully leading more men to make eco-friendly choices, without feeling like they must compromise their masculinity.
Individual Action vs Global Action
This divide between male and female engagement in eco-friendly practices is not necessarily because men aren’t interested in climate change, in fact global climate change policy is dominated by male voices. But they tend to be less interested in individual action.
While individual actions are important, there is a danger that emphasising individual responsibility and consumer choices can shift the blame from governments and high-polluting corporations. British Petroleum popularised the concept of the “carbon footprint” in a 2004 media campaign, attempting to push responsibility for the climate crisis onto consumers. Shifts of this kind can be harmful when you consider that just 20 companies are responsible for 35 percent of worldwide carbon emissions since 1965.
Ultimately individual efforts must complement global actions, which necessitate international cooperation and agreements, a shift towards renewable energy sources, and substantial investments in innovation. They collective endeavours pave the way for unlocking new opportunities crucial for humanity’s future.
But the tide flows both ways. While there’s a need to encourage men’s involvement in individual actions, it’s equally crucial to create opportunities for women to assume more prominent roles in global policy discussions.
i. Mintel, The Eco Gender Gap, 2018
ii. Javed, Five ways men contribute more to the climate crisis than women, 2021
iii. Hunt, The Eco Gender Gap: why is saving the planet seen as women’s work?, 2020
iv. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015
v. Brough et. al., Men Resist Green Behaviour as Unmanly, 2017
vi. The Guardian, Revealed: the 20 firms behind a third of all carbon emissions, 2019