According to James Wilkie, a business professor at the University of Notre Dame, there is a "stereotype that green consumers are feminine." Furthermore, men "oppose green behaviors in order to safeguard their gender identity."
It's pretty clear that Wilkie and his team first "developed a theory," then, "conducted a set of experiments." These experiments are available online at the Journal of Consumer Research, but only if you fork over $39.00.
The studies may or may not be flawed, but the world view of Wilkie certainly is. "Male traits tend to conflict with this idea of maintaining a nice environment for other people." You mean the male trait of being protective doesn't extend to "maintaining a nice environment?"
Is buying a hybrid car a "green behavior?" Because men purchase more Prius hybrids than women. This is probably because men are better at math, and can figure out complex cost-benefit calculations like whether the cost of a Prius is justified by gas price expectations.
What other green behaviors are men avoiding in order to "safeguard their gender identity?" How about buying organic? What man spends ten dollars more on produce to procure some imaginary benefit? Is this another case of men just being better at math?
Or is it the case that women are much more likely to be swayed by emotional messaging than men? A woman will feel virtuous buying organic kale for a dollar more. Never mind that organic farms are not scalable to meet the calorie demands of a hungry world. And never mind that almost nobody ever dies from pesticide poisoning. Most people with stable emotional psyches understand that you can just wash the peach.
A really good question to ask both men and women, therefore, is what tradeoffs do you find acceptable in green products? Eighty percent of consumers think eco-friendly costs more. And anybody who has washed dishes or clothes and has tried a phosphate-free detergent can tell you, they suck.
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