Women in Spain are more active than men in the fight against climate change
They are more aware of risks and have more sustainable habits in transport, shopping and waste management - according to a goverment study
Women in Spain are more active than men in the fight against climate change and all the environmental problems it is causing. This was amongst the findings of a study that the national Ministry of Ecological Transition presented on Wednesday, 23 July. This analysis of Spanish society is carried out every two years, with the aim of determining what policies in the field can reduce gender inequalities.
Almost nine out of ten women in Spain (88%) consider global warming caused by humanity and the emission of greenhouse gases to be a very serious problem. If we look at young Spanish women, this proportion grows to almost 100% of all. As for men in Spain, 84% share the same opinion.
More than nine out of ten women (94%) consider that environmental negligence has direct impact on their health and daily life. In fact, seven out of ten highlight respiratory diseases caused by atmospheric pollution as a very serious problem and 63% give the same rating to cardiovascular pathologies linked to the poor quality of the air we breathe. In both cases, this is about ten points higher than men's concern about the damage caused by pollution.
When it comes to the threat to biodiversity, 84% of women consider that caring for nature is key to fighting climate change; 57% believe that the accelerated urbanisation of natural areas is damaging the planet; 31% believe that poverty, hunger and lack of clean water caused by devastation are the main global problem. Men once again rank four to six points lower in all of these categories.
Women are more committed to fighting climate change, but they are also convinced that reversing the situation must be not only a political and social action, but also a personal responsibility. This is confirmed by 52% of women compared to 45% of men. Proof of this are the lifestyle differences between the two sexes: women lead a more sustainable way of living, which aligns better with the preservation of the planet. They are also more collaborative with the ecological transition.
Despite the difference, the commitment of all Spanish people to curb global warming is much higher than the EU average
One in five women opt for public transport as their usual means of transport to get to work or school. The same number of women prefer to walk whenever it is possible. At the same time, men use a car or a motorbike 70% of the time. When it comes to shopping, a third of Spanish women say that they try to make sustainable decisions, while the men that report doing so are 27%.
Eight out of ten women state that they have taken measures to combat global warming in the last six months - six points more than men. Spanish women are also ahead of men in trying to reduce the use of plastic bags and the generation of waste, recycling, buying less packaged goods and more eco-friendly food.
Few women in the green economy
Despite the clear female advantage, the truth is that all Spaniards, both women and men, are committed to the fight against climate change much more than the average for EU countries. Considering global warming a very serious problem is between eight and eleven points higher in Spain. Almost 20% more are the Spaniards that have taken steps in the fight against global warming in the past six months.
One of the few aspects of the study in which men exceed women concerns the proportion of women working in the so-called 'green economy'. Women in this field are only one in seven employees, which can be attributed to the strong weight of STEM degrees, which have a higher volume of men.
