When do Women Take the Lead? Exploring the Intersection Between Gender Equality and Women’s Environmental Political Participation from a Comparative Perspective

Abstract

Research has long claimed that women engage less than men in environmental political participation (EPP) (protests, petitions), despite having higher levels of environmental concern and vulnerability. Using the ISSP’s 2020 Environment Module including 28 countries, we argue that higher gender equality and socio-economic development can allow women to voice environmental grievances. Using multi-level models, we examine the effects of gender equality on gender differences in protests, petitions, and boycotts. Offering a more encompassing approach, we distinguish individual from collective, and non-confrontational from confrontational engagement forms. We find that women actually participate more than men, but mainly in individual and non-confrontational EPP forms (petitions, boycotts), and with substantial cross-country variation. Moreover, considering women’s historical barriers from participating in politics, we argue that structural gender inequality remains an important limitation to women’s engagement. Cross-level interactions indicate that especially when in more egalitarian countries, women take the lead in several types of EPP.