Everyone, everywhere says that a sustainable lifestyle is important to them. We have all come across new products incorporating ESG-related claims only to find that consumer excitement falls woefully short.
It is obvious we need to better understand whether and how sustainable claims influence consumers’ purchasing decisions. One amongst the many problems to solve is whether men and women behave equally when it comes to Sustainability?
Studies1 show that not only are there gender differences in the amount and type of sustainable consumption among women and men, but gender stereotypes and norms shape the way women and men think about the topic, respond to its necessity, and choose to act.
A 2021 study on Sustainability as a Brand Power Factor (Wyrwisz & Dziwulski, 2021) says that men do not think that commitment to sustainability is a necessary part of brands’ operations. While you think about that, also consider that studies have proven that men usually consume more carbon than women, for various reasons linked to travel frequency, eating habits and substance usage, and have lesser guilt about non-eco-friendly lifestyles(Zhao et al., 2021).
And then there is the monster of Public Perception. A series of seven studies provides evidence that the concepts of greenness and femininity are cognitively linked and shows that, accordingly, consumers who engage in green behaviors are stereotyped by others as more feminine and even perceive themselves as more feminine. (Brough et al., 2016) argue that there is a green-feminine stereotype that may motivate men to avoid green behaviors in order to preserve a macho image.
It’s not all bad news. Heinzle and Känzig (2010) say that men’s sustainability concerns are often linked to broader social and economic roles. For example, in organizational settings, motivations toward sustainability may intersect with work-related empowerment, responsibilities, and incentives for innovation.
Economic and practical considerations have been found to be significantly impact men’s involvement in sustainability. They often engage in environmental sustainability not only as a response to societal or ethical concerns but sometimes primarily for efficiency gains, cost reduction, or strategic business reasons. This pragmatic approach may especially characterize how men in leadership or ownership positions in smaller companies, such as in the hotel industry, adopt sustainability practices (Calisto et al., 2021). Gender may influence how men engage with sustainability strategies or workplace sustainability initiatives that aim to improve performance and innovation while balancing workloads (Tortia et al., 2022)
Another psychological factor is future orientation—men’s consideration of long-term consequences for both personal futures and societal outcomes. Those with a stronger future orientation tend to show greater pro-environmental behavior. Culturally, societies or groups with future-oriented values encourage behaviors beneficial to sustainability, which can motivate men to act in environmentally responsible ways (Carmi & Arnon, 2014).
So, what are the implications on marketing approaches?
Fundamentally, we need to recognise that drivers for men and women are different. Men respond to personal benefits, identity protection, and reliability messaging, while women respond to family/health benefits and environmental knowledge enhancement.
- Emphasize Direct Personal and Economic Benefits: Rather than focusing solely on environmental impacts, marketers should highlight concrete personal advantages green products offer to men, such as saving energy costs and gaining economic benefits.
- Address Effectiveness and Practicality Concerns: Establish explicit conversations with male consumers to demonstrate that green products are genuinely effective and practical, thereby reducing men’s worries about product performance.
- Use Masculine Branding and Product Names: Men’s willingness to engage in green behaviors can be influenced by threatening or affirming their masculinity, as well as by using masculine rather than conventional green branding. Create more masculine brand identities and product names to counter the association between green products and femininity.
- Connect Green Consumption to Positive Identity and Social Perception: Publicize how green consumption positively affects men’s social standing—specifically that eco-friendly consumers are perceived as more reliable and trustworthy to reduce negative social stereotypes.
Whether these differences stem from gender roles or social expectations, it is important that we acknowledge the barriers to pro-environmental behaviours and tailor our messaging for more effective green marketing. Because God knows Earth needs both Men and Women on the same side.
References
Brough, A. R., Wilkie, J. E. B., Ma, J., Isaac, M. S., & Gal, D. (2016). Is Eco-Friendly Unmanly? The Green-Feminine Stereotype and Its Effect on Sustainable Consumption. Journal of Consumer Research, 43(4), 567–582. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucw044
Calisto, M. D. L., Umbelino, J., Gonçalves, A., & Viegas, C. (2021). Environmental Sustainability Strategies for Smaller Companies in the Hotel Industry: Doing the Right Thing or Doing Things Right? Sustainability, 13(18), 10380. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810380
Carmi, N., & Arnon, S. (2014). The Role of Future Orientation in Environmental Behavior: Analyzing the Relationship on the Individual and Cultural Levels. Society & Natural Resources, 27(12), 1304–1320. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2014.928393
Tortia, E. C., Gago, M., Degavre, F., & Poledrini, S. (2022). Worker Involvement and Performance in Italian Social Enterprises: The Role of Motivations, Gender and Workload. Sustainability, 14(2), 1022. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14021022
Wyrwisz, J., & Dziwulski, J. (2021). Sustainability as a Brand Power Factor in the Women’s and Men’s Assessment. EUROPEAN RESEARCH STUDIES JOURNAL, 24(Special Issue 2), 357–367. https://doi.org/10.35808/ersj/2268
Zhao, Z., Gong, Y., Li, Y., Zhang, L., & Sun, Y. (2021). Gender-Related Beliefs, Norms, and the Link With Green Consumption. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.710239
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