Gender equality and climate change : we need equal participation, nothing else.
Date: 2012-11-28
Institutions: European Institute for Gender Equality
Subjects: climate change, gender equality, position of women, social inequality, women's rights

Gender equality and climate change -  
we need equal participation, nothing less

Shila Meyer-Behjat and 
climate expert Anni-
ka Carlsson-Kanyama 
talk about the female 
face of climate change, 
why women drive small-
er cars and the way to 
solve the climate crisis – 
‘all together’.

Climate change expert  
Annika Carlsson-Kanyama

Ms Carlsson-Kanyama, can women solve the climate crisis?
Oh, I would like to say yes, but I as a scientist I must say ‘I don’t know’ 
because this of course hasn’t been proven. But we know that women 
today are not empowered enough and we have evidence that they 
are more concerned with climate change than men. So putting that 
together, me being me, I would answer ‘maybe’. 

In their recent report on women and climate change, the 
European Institute for Gender Equality, EIGE, focuses on the 
so-called gender dimension to climate change.
Yes, this has become an area of growing interest although there are so 
many aspects to it. But in general it is about findings such as for one, 
as I said, women and men conceive climate change differently as they 
do almost every other issue. At the same time, by making choices in 
their lives that are less harmful to the environment, women tend to live 
more climate-friendly lives. 

Can you give daily examples? 
Today we have all this data showing that an average woman’s lifestyle 
produces less GHG gases than a man’s. Women drive smaller cars, they 
drive less in general, they use public transport and they eat less meat. 

Some research suggests that women simply cannot afford 
men’s lifestyle, driving bigger cars, for example. 
No, no, I don’t think it is a matter of resources. We have done research 
among women and men with the same income. Still the women drove 
smaller cars, ate differently etc.- all of the above. They were more con-
scious about their daily choices and habits. Where that comes from, I 
don’t know. Some suggest it is biological – that women have a caring 
nature. Others tend to believe it is a product of gender stereotypes.  I 
do believe it is more of the latter, but that those gender stereotypes 
are so strong and enduring that they have some effect on the female 
nature. 

It is fairly agreed today that people in the developing world 
will suffer more from the effects of climate change, women 
especially. But the same applies for Europe as well …
That is right. During the heat wave in France for example more women 
died  than  men.  It  hasn’t  really  been  confirmed  why  but  it  could  be 
that they were responsible for household tasks and thus more active, 
or it is just a matter of constitution. By the way, that is another aspect 
of why women need to be more involved – to give more visibility to 
their vulnerability. Women are in every sense at the frontline of climate 
change. But they need to go from vulnerable to visible to powerful.

Since the urge to involve more women in climate talks has 
been identified in 1992 within the Beijing Platform for Action, 
there have been lots of initiatives for greater diversity. What 
has changed since then? 
Not very much, although things have of course improved: there are wom-
en now even at the most senior levels. But what we need is their equal 
participation, nothing less. Why doesn’t this happen? Look at other power 
structures, you will find the same. It is for the same reasons that women 
are  less  represented  on  company  boards  or  decision-making  bodies  in 
politics. Those in power won’t give it up simply to have more justice. 

Is there a calculable loss to the lack of women participating 
in finding the solutions given that they are more aware and 
possibly more affected?
I wouldn’t know of that kind of research. But look, many believe that 
with  climate  change  we  will  need  to  really  enter  into  a  catastrophe 
for everybody to understand the urgency of the issue. But the signs 
have already been there to suggest that the solutions so far, or maybe 
I should say ‘our whole approach’, does not work properly. 

What are key measures to get more women involved in deci-
sion-making? How drastic should these measures be regard-
ing what is at stake?
I usually don’t get involved in political debate as such. But I think the 
key is to make women more visible in the public sphere. It sometimes 
takes everybody to work on that. In my country – Sweden TV stations 
now really make an effort to have female experts equally represented 
for interviews and programmes. Little things like that change the pub-
lic perception drastically. 

In its report EIGE finds that education, mainly post-graduate, 
is the key factor to get more women involved... 
Yes, I certainly believe so. 

But some might argue that there is just too few women quali-
fied enough to enter at these levels.
That is not a valid argument for me. 

In the same report, EIGE suggests that while there are more 
female students than male, too few women enter scientific 
areas relevant to working on solutions for climate change. 
What might be the challenges for women in those areas of 
research? 
From  my  experience,  there  are  several  dimensions  here.  First  of  all,  I 
think that women don’t see that there are many job chances in those 
fields  so  they  move  on  to  different  areas  where  there  are  more  and 
realistic possibilities. But, on top of that, women are not being made 
to feel welcome. 

Former Irish President and first female head of state in 
Ireland Mary Robinson wrote in an article: “Women are the 
world’s best climate change defence”. Do you agree? What 
needs to be done to fully realise and exploit this potential?
They are better – that I know! With men we still have to ask ourselves how 
to make them get rid of their big cars (laughs!). Now, on a serious note, 
I believe there is a political dimension to it. So, you could argue that on 
average a conservative man is more harmful to the environment than a 
socially-oriented  woman.  We  know  that  women  on  average  are  more 
concerned with climate change – as they are with any other crisis.

 
Women must be involved in shaping the 
future and tackling the change
Written by Shila Meyer-Behjat

Many acknowledge the brunt women bear when it comes to the 
effects of global warming. However, less focus is still given to 
their  capacity  to  be  drivers  of  change  in  the  fight  against  cli-
mate change. 

A  new  report  by  the  European  Institute  for  Gender  Equal-
ity  (EIGE)  highlights  just  how  little  women  have  been  involved;  on  
average, they hold just about one fourth of decision-making positions 
related  to  climate  change  in  the  public  sector. The  paper  published 
on the Institute’s website gives an overview of current research on the 
gender dimension of environmental issues, which gained broader at-
tention  in  recent  years  among  experts  and  has  slowly  started  to  be 
recognised by the general public.

 “Women play an important role in environmental management and 
progress, full participation is therefore essential to achieve sustainable 
development. It should not only be a matter of justice to involve wom-
en”, says Virginija Langbakk, director of EIGE, “but one of pure logic for 
women to stand side by side with men to tackle climate change.”

The  report  points  out  that  while  participation  of  women  in  deci-
sion-making bodies at the international and EU level continues to im-
prove,  reaching  around  40  per  cent,  women  are  much  less  involved 
within the EU Member States. In public sectors of environment, trans-
port  and  energy,  which  are  all  relevant  to  climate  change  policies, 
more than 80 per cent of top level (ministerial) positions are held by 
men. Only Finland and Sweden have reached an equal number 
of women and men – the ideal setting according to EIGE. “Any de-
cision-making body performs better when it includes people from a 

range of perspectives and backgrounds. A complex matter such as cli-
mate change simply needs this diverse, holistic approach”, as Virginija 
Langbakk points out. 

The report has been a part of the Institute’s work on the review of the 
Beijing  Platform  for  Action  under  the  EU’s  Danish  Presidency  during 
the first half of 2012. In it researchers not only assessed the number 
of women at the negotiation tables but also the potential for future 
involvement  of  women. To  do  so  the  report  takes  into  account  the 
number of women graduates in natural science and technolo-
gy. Here, the report highlights, changes have gone in the right direc-
tion. However, women still opt for life sciences, especially environmen-
tal sciences rather than technological fields which might be crucial in 
finding alternative solutions to tackle global warming. 

Overall,  Virginija  Langbakk  concludes,  women’s  lack  of  involvement 
in shaping a future in which they especially will have to cope with 
climate change will harm the society as a whole. “Such factors should 
become an integral part of climate change policy debates and deci-
sions. Otherwise we as a society will continue to lack the right answers.”

The report “Gender Equality and Climate Change” is available on 
EIGE’s website: www.eige.europa.eu 

The active participation of women and the integration of gender is-
sues in environmental policies and actions are critical determinants for 
the  implementation  of  the  commitments  of  the  Beijing  Platform  for 
Action (1995), the World Summit on Sustainable Development (2002), 
and the Millennium Development Goals. 

The report “Gender Equality and Climate Change” is available on EIGE’s website: 
www.eige.europa.eu 

The active participation of women and the integration of gender issues in environmental 
policies and actions are critical determinants for the implementation of the commitments 
of the Beijing Platform for Action (1995), the World Summit on Sustainable Development 
(2002), and the Millennium Development Goals. 

On 21 June 2012 the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council of 
Ministers of the European Union (EPSCO) adopted conclusions on gender equality and 
climate change - including the first indicators - prepared by the Danish Presidency on 
the basis of EIGE’s report.  EPSCO conclusions highlight that more women are needed in 
climate change decision making to respond to climate change efficiently.

 facebook.com/eige.europa.eu

 twitter.com/eurogender

 youtube.com/eurogender

Švitrigailos g. 11M, LT-03228 Vilnius, 
Lithuania

ISBN: 978-92-9218-058-4 
doi: 10.2839/60018 
MH-32-12-424-EN-C