www.guardian.co.uk 15th September 2010
A new study published in the journal ‘Population and Environment’ by Aaron McCright, an associate professor at Michigan State University’s Department of Sociology, has found that “women tend to believe the scientific consensus on global warming more than men”. However, the paper also discusses how women lack faith in their scientific comprehension of the subject. 35% of surveyed women professed to being concerned about climate change compared to 29% of men. The divide is slightly larger when asked if they thought that global warming posed a threat to their way of life (37% of women to 28% of men). The results could be explained by ‘gender socialisation’ whereby “boys learn that masculinity emphasises detachment, control and mastery, whereas girls develop traits of attachment, empathy and care”.
