Eco Etiquette: Are Women Greener Than Men?

Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at [e-mail]. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.

I got into a heated debate recently that I'm wondering if you could weigh in on. It seems like women, in general, care more about the environment than men. (At least among the people I know.) Is there anything to back this up?

-Margie

One look at two recent environmental disasters -- the BP oil spill and the ill-fated Massey coal mine in West Virginia -- and one might wonder if men are not only less concerned about the planet, but directly responsible for its demise.

After all, it's men who fill the highest ranks at both BP and Massey Energy. And perhaps to prove your point, the most influential female executive at BP, Katrina Landis, is in charge of the company's alternative energy division. (Though she's not nearly as powerful as her predecessor, Vivienne Cox; BP rather presciently slashed its alternative energy budget by nearly $900 million last year, right around the time that Cox "retired.")

But before you pounce on me for partisan posturing, let me step in and say that I don't believe that either of these examples proves that men are somehow less likely environmentalists than women. In my mind, they only demonstrate two inconvenient truths: 1) Women are still poorly represented in leadership roles in large corporations (to wit: 29 female CEOs in the Fortune 1000); and 2) a lot of large corporations are too greedy to put environmental concerns before their bottom line.

I think that those of us who don't work for Big Oil (and even some of us who do) are equally horrified at the devastation that's befallen the Gulf. I've talked to a lot of men and women in the 51 days since the onset of the worst oil spill in United States history -- scientists, fishermen, mothers in Louisiana, fathers in Florida. To a person, each has said that this tragedy is the final wakeup call for this country to move toward a clean energy future.

This sentiment is all well and good, but here's where I think your question really comes in to play: Who -- man or woman -- will be most likely to translate this conviction into action?

For inspiration, there's no shortage of green heroes on either side. It was Rachel Carson, after all, who set in motion the modern environmental movement with her seminal work, Silent Spring, which sounded the alarm about humanity's impact on nature and the dangers of untested chemical pesticides. In more recent history, Al Gore has helped drive the issue of climate change to the mainstream consciousness.

But when it comes to the day-to-day doings of men and women who haven't devoted their lives to saving the planet, it's not so clear which is the greener gender. Andrea Duwel, a PhD candidate at UC-Davis who has studied the differences in sustainability between the sexes, says that in her own research, she's found that women show a "small, but statistically significant" greater concern for the environment; but she notes that on the whole, the empirical evidence is mixed. "Some other research does not find this effect, and the effect of gender on environmental concern is somewhat controversial in the academic literature in this area," she says.

There's one thing studies have shown, however, and that's that how women and men approach their environmentalism is as different as how they approach their relationships (cue Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus slideshow). Generally speaking, men like to focus on "big-picture" issues, while women are more interested in smaller eco-friendly changes that they can implement at home.

This could justify the increase in green disputes described by therapists in a recent New York Times article (she gets annoyed when he throws recyclable yogurt cups in the garbage; he argues that such minutiae make no real difference to the planet). It also could explain why 72 percent of men but only 40 percent of women favor building more nuclear power plants (big picture), or why women are 60 percent more likely than men to be vegetarian (smaller change).

I've witnessed this in my own life: My mother-in-law, to her credit, willingly jumps on almost any eco-improvement I've written about, especially when it comes to household purchasing. No change is too small -- organic milk, BPA-free cans, biodegradable doggie doo bags -- you name it. My father-in-law, on the other hand, isn't as excited by recycled wine totes (although I'm sure he uses them), but he does boast a fabulous career in the green energy sector.

Which brings me to my final point: With women in the US controlling 85 percent of all purchasing decisions, and our largely consumer-based economy, maybe it just seems like women are more effectively able to translate their green principles into daily action.

And as we all know, actions speak louder than words. "Just because someone expresses concern for the environment, does not mean that the concern translates into behavior," points out UC-Davis' Duwel.

Want to see how one half is working toward environmental change? Don't miss the Women of the Green Generation Conference in Los Angeles this Saturday, where I'll be moderating a panel on environmentalism and the media. Hope to see you there!

 

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Comments

[joeythetrollslayer]

03:42 AM on 06/10/2010

Men don't care about the environment. They just want to ride Harleys and look for T and A. Why should men care what happens to civilization? No, men do not care about anything but themselves and their toys, in general. Some men will pay lip service, and some actually do care, but mostly they don't. Part of it is anti-social behavior which is basically a male problem-tell said man he can't pour oil down the drain, and the oil will go down the drain, throw garbage out the window. Why? Because he can. Part of it is just wanting to mess things up for fun-think nuclear weapons. Part of it is macho hormones-just look at the movies men watch. I'm a man, and I see and hear this every day. What I've found though is now woman are starting to not care either. The environmental backlash is coming.

[Indra]

12:16 AM on 06/10/2010

I forgot to mention, nice work with the Red, White, And Green. More power to you.

[Indra]

11:59 PM on 06/09/2010

Well first of all do you remember that woman that Bush appointed to the EPA. I can't remember her name but I do remember that she said arsenic was good for people. Yeah, she was from New Jersey. Haha. Women are just as gonzo as men but in a different way. They have not had the opportunity as of yet to be represented as much as men in government and executive offices. This is changing however and women will be seen as scumball slimebags just as the guys are as time goes on. Another point is that women do not act green because in fact the purchases they make with all that buying power is not for green stuff. If it were, we would be seeing a totally different marketplace. So, I think women might talk a green line but they cross over it in mass on a daily basis and have not added any value to the green revolution more than any man has. Basically most women and men are slow on the uptake. Also before Rachel Carson we have Aldo Leopold, 1949, A sand County Almanac, check it out. He is considered the grandaddy of the environmental movement. Basically I think it is not wise to try a sexist approach to who is a better what have you. It just does not work.

[mikefina]

09:11 PM on 06/09/2010

It depends on whether or not methane emissions from men are more environmentally toxic than the non-stop CO2 emissions from the mouths of the chattering fairer sex.

[Jennifer Grayson]

10:09 PM on 06/09/2010

Well, seeing as methane is 23 times more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2, I'd say there would have to be an awful lot of chattering going on.

[mikefina]

10:33 PM on 06/09/2010

Jennifer, there is, darlin. There is a LOT of chattering going on. Sigh.

[Sooze Handelman]

01:51 PM on 06/09/2010

Your Mother-in-law sounds like a very eco hip lady...but it's mostly due to your wonderful advice! ;)
And for the record, I do think in general woman are greener than men...but most men are willing to follow our lead!
Sooze

[santiago sherwood]

03:49 PM on 06/09/2010

Men are more eco -minded if you only knew haw many small creature are mutilated to make Perfume and cosmetics it is horrible. You really need to look at the groups as whole not live in a bubble. the mary Kay crowd is punching a whole in the Ozone faster than you can image and the majority Hummers are driven by women.

[Jennifer Grayson]

10:07 PM on 06/09/2010

She is incredibly eco-hip. And thank you! I still think the men vs. women debate depends on the given green situation, but I'm blessed -- I've got a great husband who always remembers to bring our reusable canvas bags to the grocery store!

[Indra]

12:04 AM on 06/10/2010

Tell your husband he has my admiration.Gutsy guy, haha!

[Hiqutipie]

01:30 PM on 06/09/2010

Its not an Eco or Green thing Jenn...Its all been about capitalism since Reagan and the hell with everything else from values & standards to the Eco, all with Old men at the Helm...Which is why you're starting to see a sea of change in politics with more young women and more women in general kicking the old boys network to the curb...Taylor Marsh has a few articles about the Rise of Women today...

I'm no Green Me guy except through being Irish but I am for responsibility in all things and always making things better for society & the environment...

Nice Article about Women & the failures of men recently...

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/07/she-8217-s-the-man/8125/

[Jennifer Grayson]

10:16 PM on 06/09/2010

Thanks for this, Hiqutipie. But in my mind, the Rise of Women won't be complete until women receive equal pay for equal work. We're still only earning 77 cents on the male dollar:

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1983185,00.html

[Hiqutipie]

11:30 PM on 06/09/2010

Well said Jenn...I never understood the difference in the first place...The girls have always been as good as the boys in my world...Its women like you and the many others that are not only going to influence change in the work place but just maybe the perceptions of women around the world...Keep up the good work...

[Indra]

12:09 AM on 06/10/2010

Yes, you have sceptre. I would like to add however that it would be nice if women did something a little different as well as trying to climb into the drivers seat of corrupt and totally lame corporations. Of course if they can do so without losing their souls on the way (so to speak) and change things for the better, that would even be nicer. What do you think the evolution will look like and the end result. I have my concerns about this but as you say first things first.

[noteasy2begreen]

01:28 PM on 06/09/2010

I hate the way gender gets dragged into everything. There are so many reasons why any given individual might care about the environment, and equally many ways s/he could choose to express it. I have green female friends (including a geologist) who are more concerned with the 'big picture' and green male friends (including a few vegetarians) who focus on lifestyle choices. And vice versa. Even if we could make an accurate generalization about overall approaches or impact (which are pretty much impossible to measure accurately), what's the point in creating a new division amongst the people who care about the environment?

Let's stop squabbling over which gender is greener and start looking for more ways for ourselves -- as individuals -- to be more responsible global citizens.

[Jennifer Grayson]

09:57 PM on 06/09/2010

I agree, noteasy2begreen, and these are just overarching generalities -- of course we have to look at people as individuals and tailor our environmental arguments to them as such. But there ARE differences between men and women that we can't ignore. It's a pretty powerful statistic that 85 percent of purchasing decisions in this country are made by women. Think of how much this country could change if every single one of those women kept sustainability in mind before buying something.

[Hiqutipie]

11:33 PM on 06/09/2010

Women have always had more Power then they wielded...Until they got Mad...

[carygrant09]

12:39 PM on 06/09/2010

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