Not satisfied with being a threat to women all over the world, men have taken it one step further. A recent study has revealed that men tend to litter more, recycle less, have a larger carbon footprint, and feel less responsible than women for environmentally destructive behavior.
Traditionally, females have been considered ‘care givers’ as well as ‘soft’ and ‘kind’ in their approach. A study carried out by Aaron Brough, an assistant professor of marketing at Utah State University, and James E.B. Wilkie, an assistant professor of business at the University of Notre Dame, has revealed that men avoid ‘green behavior’ because they perceive such behavior to be feminine. Surprisingly, this tendency in men is not due to laziness or lack of concern, but only because concern for the environment is considered a feminine characteristic and “men tend to be more concerned than women with gender-identity maintenance.”
So much so that men are more likely to donate to an environment-related NGO that had a more masculine-looking logo than the one whose logo is feminine or soft. This behavior was not seen in women.
Their craziness knows no limit.
Men are more likely to avoid ‘green products’ both in public and private life, which shows that they are concerned about managing judgments of themselves as well as how the perceive themselves.
Let’s hope, for the sake of mother earth, that men can get over their insecurities and feel less threatened by their feminine side.