Gender, Environmentalism, and Interest in Forest Certification: Mohai's Paradox Revisited

Abstract

This research corroborates work by Mohai (1992) and others showing a consistent gender difference in environmental concern favoring women. It also helps resolve a paradox that women show more environmental concern than men, but they are less environmentally active. Using data from a survey of U.S. homeowners completed in 1994, we again find women more environmentally concerned than men. However, when green consumerism, rather than membership in environmental organizations, is used as an indicator of environmentalism (the dependent variable), women tend to be more environmentally active than men.