Activism and Conservation Behavior in an Environmental Movement: The Contradictory Effects of Gender

Abstract

Various authors suggest that environmentalism differs by gender, but systematic empirical evidence for this assertion is limited. We compare women's and men's environmental activism and environmentally friendly behavior (EFB) using survey data from probability samples of three British Columbia forest conservation organizations (n=381). The data were primarily analyzed using OLS multiple regression analysis. Findings show no substantial gender differences in level of activism, but reveal that women engage in significantly higher rates of EFB. Further, while level of activism is not a significant predictor of EFB among men, it is the strongest predictor among women. Theoretical implications of these findings are discussed. Specifically, we argue that women may be more concerned about environmental issues and committed to environmentalism, but their limited biographical availability (e.g., personal constraints that present barriers to participation--as entailed in the demands of the "double day" of paid and domestic work) constrains their activism (McAdam 1986). However, because many environmentally friendly behaviors can be undertaken in the context of domestic labor and everyday routines, biographical availability does not constrain their EFB.