Women litter less

Dec 31st, 2022 | By
Category: Notes and Comment Blog

What do you know, sometimes Scientific American does remember that men are not women and vice versa.

Women have long surpassed men in the arena of environmental action; across age groups and countries, females tend to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Compared to men, women litter less, recycle more, and leave a smaller carbon footprint. Some researchers have suggested that personality differences, such as women’s prioritization of altruism, may help to explain this gender gap in green behavior.

Or to put it more crudely, lots of men are of the “you can’t tell me what to do” mindset even in contexts where yes of course someone can tell you what to do, while women are better at accepting that living in society entails some rules. Lots of men dread being called a pussy more than anything else, while women know selfish behavior when they see it.

Our own research suggests an additional possibility: men may shun eco-friendly behavior because of what it conveys about their masculinity. It’s not that men don’t care about the environment. But they also tend to want to feel macho, and they worry that eco-friendly behaviors might brand them as feminine.

Those are closely-related things. Altruism isn’t seen as “masculine.” It could be, but it isn’t. Wanting to feel macho=altruism is for bitches=I can do whatever I want.

Ironically, although men are often considered to be less sensitive than women, they seem to be particularly sensitive when it comes to perceptions of their gender identity. In fact, a previous study suggests that men find it to be more difficult than women to choose between masculine and feminine versions of everyday food and household items and will usually change their preferences to be more manly when allowed time to think about their decisions. Something as simple as holding a purse, ordering a colorful drink, or talking in a high voice can lead to social harm, so men tend to keep a sharp eye out for any of these potential snares. 

It’s something women don’t have to deal with, at least not as directly. We’re already in the disgraced category, so it’s pointless to be hyper-vigilant about markers of it; men on the other hand have their higher status to protect.

Having said that though, I have to admit that there are lot of girly-marked things that I dislike, so maybe I’m just as hyper-vigilant even though it’s futile.

It’s an interesting and depressing conundrum. I’ve been thinking about it since forever and still have no idea how to resolve it. We’re sexually dimorphic, men are stronger, ergo there is status anxiety, always.

H/t Omar

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