01/03/2023

The way in which men and women contribute to the causes of climate change is conditioned by the social norms and gender roles that persist in our societies. Male and female roles are associated with specific behaviour, the distinct tasks and activities that they undertake, and different access to resources. That leads to different behaviours and patterns in women and men both in their lifestyles and in their conduct, and even their way of seeing the world or the manner in which they relate to the planet and its finite resources.

Furthermore, the power relations and dynamics or the limited space that women occupy in areas of particular importance and in certain decision-making spaces impact on the ecological footprint or the differentiated responsibility and contribution of women and men to climate change. Women and men contribute in different ways to the perpetuation of climate change; an ecological impact that is conditioned, as already pointed out, by the social patterns that both assume. Thus, some behaviours associated with masculinity or needs and attitudes arising from the male role (use of own vehicle, eating meat, waste generation, searching for technological solutions to the detriment of social ones, etc.) are more harmful for the climate and, therefore, have a greater impact on the climate footprint.