A new study reveals that cars and meat consumption play a significant role in the disparity of greenhouse gas emissions between genders.
Men are responsible for 26% greater greenhouse gas emissions than women when it comes to transportation and food, a preprint study of 15,000 individuals in France shows. However, after accounting for socioeconomic factors such as income and education, this difference decreases to 18%.
The consumption of red meat and the use of cars account for almost the entire 6.5-9.5% difference in emissions, even after factoring in men’s higher calorie intake and longer distance traveling. The study found no gender difference in flying emissions.
Ondine Berland, an economist at London School of Economics and Political Science and a co-author of the study, said, “Our findings suggest that traditional gender norms, associating masculinity with red meat consumption and car use, significantly influence individual carbon footprints.”
Understanding gender gaps in emissions research can be challenging due to confounders such as men’s higher average consumption and income, which are linked to greater emissions.
Prudent actions to reduce carbon pollution, such as abandoning gasoline cars and adopting plant-based diets, are often met with hostility by those interpreting these efforts as threats to masculinity. Vasculinity critics, including figures like U.S. Vice-President JD Vance and misogynist influencer Andrew Tate, use the term “soy boy” to portray progressive men as weak. Despite this, soy is primarily utilized in animal feed to produce meat and dairy, with only a fraction of soybeans in the world going towards vegan diets.
French researchers propose that these gender differences may explain why women are typically more concerned about climate change, as they may face a higher personal cost in reducing emissions. “These variations in carbon footprints could be influenced by women’s greater worry about climate change and their higher tendency to adopt eco-friendly behaviors in everyday life,” Marion Leroutier, an environmental economist at Crest-EnSAE Paris and co-author, adds.
