Thesis
The feminization of environmental responsibility: a quantitative, cross-national analysis
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2016
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/102616
Abstract
Evidence suggests a link between gender equity and environmental protection. Bearing this evidence in mind, this paper takes a critical look at gender differences in engagement in everyday efforts to save the environment (e.g., recycling, reducing water and energy use). Women tend to engage more frequently in pro-environmental behavior (PEB) relative to men — what has been termed the “feminization of environmental responsibility” — yet the gendered nature of PEB participation remains largely unproblematized in the discipline of environmental sociology. This paper is part of a broader effort to problematize inequitable distributions of environmental labor on the basis of gender. The questions driving this research are: What is the context in which women behave more environmentally than men? And how does women’s involvement in higher levels of PEB relate to broader (gendered) structures? I address this question by conducting a quantitative cross-national analysis of gender differences in PEB using ISSP 2010 data on thirty (mostly) industrialized countries. As expected, women report greater involvement in PEB than men in the vast majority of countries analyzed. This gender gap is not only explained by women’s greater levels of reported environmental concern than men, but also v by a country’s level of neoliberalism and ratio of female to male labor force participation. This research contributes cross-national quantitative evidence to support arguments emerging from qualitative literature suggesting a relationship between political-economic context and the feminization of environmental responsibility. In general, this research illuminates the complex relationships between environmental solutions and social justice and suggests a connection between processes of neoliberalism, gender equity, and sustainability.
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Details
- Title
- The feminization of environmental responsibility
- Creators
- Elizabeth Ann Dzialo
- Contributors
- Emily Huddart Kennedy (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Sociology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525179501842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis