Is Sustainability Unmanly?
Is Sustainability Unmanly? An interview with Dr. James Wilkie.
Interviews are always best in audio. Listen here!
Professor James Wilkie is a consumer psychologist + professor whose research examines how environmental cues and social norms can (automatically) influence consumers. His work has been published in some of marketing’s and psychology’s lead journals.
“Is Eco-Friendly Unmanly? The Green-Feminine Stereotype and Its Effect on Sustainable Consumption” was highlighted as a 2016 “must-read” article for marketers by Marketing Science Institute’s (MSI) Academic Trustees.
His projects have been featured in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Scientific American, Time, NPR, CBSNews, The Guardian, Psychology Today, Boston Globe + the Toronto Star.
The episode in a nutshell:
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Across cultures + ages, eco-friendly behavior is perceived as feminine.
Men are more uncomfortable crossing gender boundaries than women; as such, practicing eco-friendliness threatens masculinity.
Males must be made secure in their masculinity so they feel comfortable choosing sustainability more often.
“If a female wants to act in a masculine way, it’s not as threatening to others as if a male acts in a feminine way.”
Strategies Dr. Wilkie offers to engage men in sustainability:
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– Practice gender identity maintenance by validating + affirming men’s masculinity.
– Discuss potential eco-friendly purchases in financial terms.
– Talk about decisions in the near future (i.e. “We should really get this product because the other option could really harm our kids”).
– Reaffirm husband’s role as the family’s protector.
– Frame eco-friendly items using masculine words + darker colors ( i.e. describe a hybrid vehicle as eco-protective as opposed to eco-friendly).
– Don’t explicitly tell men what to do. Take a subtle approach, instead.
Notable quotes from the episode:
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“Our research was based on the long-standing understanding that women tend to be more eco-friendly than men. This is across ages and cultures.”
“We looked at the differences in how men and women are choices when choosing products that have a gender attached to it.”
“Men feel a pressure to behave in a masculine fashion because if we don’t we tend to be scrutinized more. Women face a similar pressure to act feminine, but the consequences … are smaller.”
“Nowadays, because women have really fought to take on more masculine roles, there’s less of a social argument against them choosing (masculine) things. Whereas with men we haven’t fought as much to take on more feminine roles + we therefore tend to be penalized more if we take on those products and purchase (feminine) things. It’s threatening to who we are as people.”
“There are men who want to be more environmentally friendly, but they feel a pressure NOT to be. That’s because environmentally friendly products are perceived to be feminine.”
“We found over and over again that eco-friendly products and actions are associated with the idea of femininity. The interesting things is, though, that behaviors harmful to the environment aren’t necessarily associated with masculinity.”
“It’s ironic in a sense that you typically think of women from a stereotypical standpoint of being the sensitive type. Yet when it comes to this gender argument, females when compared to men seem to be quite sensitive (to gender roles).”
