A recent French study has indicated a notable “gender gap” in carbon emissions, discovering that women emit 26% less carbon than men, largely due to their dietary and transportation choices.
Researchers highlight that family dynamics between genders significantly contribute to the disparity in carbon footprints, with men generally leading the way in France.
According to a report from France 24, the findings stem from an extensive study involving 15,000 participants across France.
On average, French men have a carbon footprint that is 26% higher than that of women, primarily driven by increased vehicle usage and a preference for lean meats. This information was shared on Wednesday by the Grantham Institute on Climate Change, the London School of Economics (LSE), and the Centre for Economic Statistics (CREST).
By analyzing consumption patterns from over 2,000 car models and various foods, researchers illustrated how gender influences carbon emissions, focusing on certain “underlying factors.”
It turns out that French men have an average annual carbon emission of 5.3 tons from food and transport, while women average 3.9 tons, a difference the working paper ties to two “gender stereotype” products.
Ondine Berland, a co-author of the research, noted that “women have significantly lower carbon footprints than men in the food and transportation sectors.” She added, “Several key factors contribute to this gap, such as male family structures, biological variations, higher consumption of lean meat, and greater reliance on cars.”
Lean meats, particularly beef and lamb, are identified as some of the most carbon-intensive foods, while road travel contributes to about 75% of global transport emissions.
In France, the transportation and food sectors make up half of household carbon emissions.
Previous research from Sweden indicated that men’s spending on products results in 16% more “climate equivalent emissions” compared to women’s, despite similar overall expenditure amounts, as reported by the Guardian.
