Abstract

Ecofeminists have long argued that due to biological differences between the sexes, women are inherently closer to nature than men. They also contend that women “naturally” care for the environment as an extension of their caring roles, being socialized as mothers and caregivers. Subsequently, women would then tend to support environmental issues and causes more than men. Using the 1996 National Election Studies survey data, this study constructs an alternate model that examines whether feminist consciousness, along with other sociodemographic factors such as age, education, income, race, ideology, and party identification, can explain support for the environment. The results reveal that gender is not statistically significant in explaining environmental support, while age, ideology, party identification, and feminist consciousness are. These findings suggest that gender may not have a direct all-encompassing effect, but a more subtle one mediated by effects of age, party identification, and ideology. Moreover, both men and women who exhibit feminist beliefs are more likely to be supportive of environmental issues.