Cars and Meat Drive Gender Gap in Carbon Emissions, Study Finds
Cars and Meat Drive Gender Gap in Carbon Emissions, Study Finds
New research reveals that cars and red meat consumption are key contributors to a gender gap in greenhouse gas emissions. According to a preprint study involving 15,000 participants in France, men emit 26% more planet-warming pollution than women through transportation and food choices. When socioeconomic factors like income and education are taken into account, the gap narrows to 18%.
Even after adjusting for men’s higher calorie intake and longer travel distances, nearly all of the remaining 6.5–9.5% difference in emissions is attributed to red meat consumption and car use. The study found no significant gender disparity in emissions from air travel.
“Our findings suggest that traditional gender norms—especially those that associate masculinity with eating red meat and driving—substantially shape individual carbon footprints,” said Ondine Berland, an economist at the London School of Economics and a co-author of the study.
Analyzing gender gaps in emissions is complex due to intertwined variables. For instance, while men biologically require more calories, they also tend to eat far more than necessary. Men also have higher average incomes, which correlates with increased emissions.
Earlier studies from Sweden have shown that men’s consumption habits produce 16% more climate-heating emissions than women’s, even when spending amounts are similar.
Marion Leroutier, an environmental economist at Crest-Ensae Paris and another co-author, noted: “It’s striking that the emissions gap between men and women in France from food and transport is roughly equal to that between high- and low-income individuals.”
Key strategies for reducing personal carbon footprints include giving up gasoline-powered cars, cutting down on meat consumption, and avoiding flights. However, initiatives aimed at promoting plant-based diets or reducing car use have often been met with resistance—especially from commentators who view them as attacks on traditional masculinity.
Far-right figures, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance and controversial influencer Andrew Tate, have used the term “soy boy” to mock men who adopt plant-based diets, implying weakness. Ironically, while soy is a staple in vegan diets, most soy—about 75%—is used to feed livestock, not people.
The French researchers propose that gender differences in emissions might help explain why women are generally more concerned about climate change. The higher perceived personal cost of reducing emissions may deter men from fully engaging with the climate crisis.
However, greater concern about the environment might also motivate women to make more climate-friendly lifestyle choices. “More research is needed to determine whether these differences in carbon footprints are also influenced by women’s stronger environmental values and their greater likelihood of adopting sustainable behaviors,” Leroutier added.
