Some time back, a male friend saw me upcycling my clothes and asked if I would help him to re-stitch the button to his shirt. He was clueless as to how to sew the button back and did confess that even though his mother would stitch frequently, he indeed had never felt the need to learn this skill. He is seven years senior to me, I was appalled to know that he would not know something basic nor would attempt to try it.
After a moment of reflection, to my amazement and without any stereotypical setup – I realized my social media following list for eco-influencers was owned/run by women. Only a few male ‘eco-influencers’ I was following; were either part of or leading eco-centric organizations.
A fellow environmentalist, Rahul Hasija, shared his experience of conducting workshops /sessions on regenerative economics, of “gift culture” as a lifestyle. Women attending his workshops are more responsive, open to learn and share than the men (often in fewer numbers as part of the audience). These women are from all walks of life, homemakers to corporate professionals, yet with the common eagerness and enthusiasm. On the other hand, the men were either students or recent graduates but none so far who is a working professional (with a stable income source).
During his home visits to couples, who had chosen to live an environmentally friendly lifestyle, he noticed an immense difference in the time, efforts, and, more importantly, responsibilities taken up by the husband and wife for all eco-aligned activities at their home. The wife would spend more time taking the initiative, reading up, experimenting and bearing the mental load, while the husband would lean towards doing the minimum and talking about the changes in their home. Furthermore, he inferred that men tend to be more vocal when there is social acceptance or an improvement in social standing associated with a particular practice(s).
A study (1) highlights this concept as ‘Eco gender gap’, implying that men are less likely to pursue environmentally-friendly behaviors than their female counterparts. This is a reflection of the facts of research, that many women still tend to take charge of the running of the household, with chores such as cleaning, laundry and even recycling falling under that banner.
The Time Use in India survey(2) -a national sample of over 4.5 lakh people over the age of six. It was found that an average woman, aged 15-59, gets 13 minutes less sleep at night each day but catches up by grabbing a nap at odd hours. Women in their working ages also get less time to socialize, eat and drink, and even bathe and get dressed. At the same time, 87 percent men participate in leisure activities, but only 6.1 percent of men participate in cooking, 8 percent in house cleaning and just 3 percent in washing clothes.
The traditional definition of masculinity revolves around a certain image- economic independence, aggression, an absence of expressions of love, receivers of services and a more public existence than a woman. On the other hand, the female is meant to uphold traditions, economically dependent, a giver of all things love and otherwise, and restricted to the household space. We must see this reality in the context of the impact of individual actions on the environment.
An illustration of how this above mention concept is imperative in society, by how both genders would be perceived differently for carrying a bag while grocery shopping.
“There is clearly a wider disconnect between men and environmental issues, which, more troublingly, could be due to men feeling that caring for the environment somehow undermines their masculinity. This is certainly a sentiment that risks being reinforced by advertisers, with eco-friendly campaigns and product claims largely aimed at female audiences. At a time where so many advertisers are exploring what it means to be a man, there are opportunities for brands to create campaigns that will reposition environmentally-friendly behaviors as part of modern masculinity.”
Thrift stores, Ad campaigns, social media algorithms have till now catered to the needs of their female audience, knowing well that they would be more interested in ‘caring for the environment’. The packaging and branding is done to cater to a larger female audience. Beyond expectations of unpaid physical labor, the mainstream ideal of beauty has translated into the large traffic for fast fashion. This is another reason that most thrift stores have products for women and very few for men. This also goes to say how a generation of men that has kept a distance from all things ‘feminine’ would be disinterested in thrift, DIY (Do-it-yourself), repair, reuse and all things that a female eco-influencer preaches. With modern definitions of masculinity undergoing debate and toxic masculinity being called out, individual actions towards environmentally sustainable living must be gender-neutral. At the same time, public discourse, policy-making and action for the environment must involve more women.
Historically, the imbalance of home and public sphere participation between men and women has affected women more than men. When looked at from the lens of gender disparity in political positions, this becomes manifold in spaces where policies that govern the home and hearth are decided. There have been several movements in India led by women, to protest environmentally destructive policies. There are also increasing calls for inclusive and diverse public and political decision-making. Environmental activism and social reform are not mutually exclusive, one needs the support of the other to be effective. And for effective impact, it has to be ensured that learning and praxis is equitably practiced by all strata of society.
