Survey shows women “greener” than men

As the popular saying goes, men are from Mars and women are from Venus; however, they both live on Earth. So why would one sex care more about this planet than the other?

According to the “Survey of Students Engagement with Social Issues” conducted by one of Ph.D. student Oren Pizmony-Levy’s sociology classes last fall, female students are more likely to make significant changes in their lives for the sake of the environment.

The survey questioned 615 IU students about their behaviors, including those pertaining to environmental awareness.

“We see striking differences between males and females on campus. Females are much more green than males,” Pizmony-Levy said.

Gender gaps aside, the survey also illustrated what students as a whole are willing to do to help.

Seventy percent reported they were willing to recycle and not drive their cars when they have other options.

Pizmony-Levy said he sees the importance of recycling but believes students should put more emphasis on reducing their consumption.

On the other end, only about 40 percent were willing to do things such as turn off the screen-saver on their computer, unplug appliances when not in use and buy locally produced foods.

IU senior Christopher Landers said he’s not apathetic about the environment but concedes women are probably greener than he is.

“I mean I’m no environmentalist,” Landers said. “I recycle, and given the choice, I would probably go with something more environmentally friendly. But if it’s the choice between a $5 light bulb and an $8 light bulb that will allegedly cause less of a carbon footprint, it’s then that I have to think twice.”

However, Landers said he habitually turns off the water and unplugs things that are not in use.

“Previous research showed that females care more about the earth,” Pizmony-Levy said.

“This gap is explained by socialization and gender roles where females are learning to care more about other things in general, including the environment,” he said.

IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs graduate student Farah Abi-Akar said some men on campus “need to take a lesson from the ladies on this one.”

She said many environmentalists use economics to encourage people to care about being greener.

“Using economics is a convenient way to make people care even when they don’t,” Abi-Akar said. “It is critical to draw a direct connection from environmental issues to their impacts on our lives. Equally important, we want people to know that their positive actions do have positive consequences.”

Abi-Akar suggested more people would care about environmental issues if the green “fad” had more exposure.

“We need to make environmental behavior as desirable as iPods,” she said. “If everyone loved waste reduction as much as they loved iPods, we would have a lot less to worry about.”