The Green-Feminine Stereotype: Eco-Friendly and Unmanly

In general, women litter less and recycle more than men, partly because green actions seem to be seen as "unmanly". In other words, the desire to feel macho is stronger than the desire to care about the environment.



More than 2.000 US-American and Chinese participants took part in research studies on the link between eco-friendly behaviour and gender stereotypes.



Both male and female participants showed a clear tendency to describe male and female individuals who bring reusable canvas bags to supermarkets as more feminine than those using plastic bags. They also perceived themselves to be more feminine when recalling a time when they acted in an eco-friendly manner.



In one of the experiments, the research group threatened the male participants' masculinity by showing them a pink gift card with floral design (versus a neutral gift card in the control group). Those shown the "threatening" gift card showed a significantly higher tendency to choose a non-green rather than green version of several items afterwards. The authors' interpretation is that "men try to reassert their masculinity through non-environmentally friendly choices", the conclusion that "one could harm the environment merely by making men feel feminine" and that the green-feminine stereotype inhibits men from taking environmentally friendly actions. They suggest that products be marketed as more "men"-vironmentally-friendly with "masculine" fonts (whatever they are), "masculine" colours, "masculine" words and images in the branding since men seem to be quite sensitive about their gender identity (via).



The results are surely interesting. Future studies could control for machismo and differentiate between men and men. If in a first step accepting responsibility for our planet needs to be sold as something that does not decrease masculinity by applying obvious gender marketing strategies, so be it. In the long run, hopefully, the need to act responsibly will be internalised and not throw testosterone levels out of balance.

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images via (by H. Armstrong Roberts) and via (1964, The Super Giant supermarket in Rockville, Maryland. Color transparency by John Dominis, Life magazine photo archive) and via (by Hank Walker) and via (by 14thCenturyHood)