It comes down to how we teach boys to be boys and girls to be girls.Photo courtesy Jason Pratt via FlickrEver wonder why it seems the most vocal climate change skeptics are men? A new study by Michigan State University sociologist Aaron McCright, published in the journal Population and Environment says that women do tend to believe the scientific consensus that global warming is indeed happening and mostly caused by human activity more than men do. Here’s why:
After examining eight years of polling data on environmental issues, McCright says that the gender divide on climate change does not come down to the roles performed by men and women within society but come down to differences in gender socialization:
According to this theory, boys in the United States learn that masculinity emphasizes detachment, control and mastery. A feminine identity, on the other hand, stresses attachment, empathy, and care — traits that may make it easier to feel concern about the potential dire consequences of global warming.
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