Gender and Environment Statistics

1. Gender and Environment Statistics Gerry Brady, CSO Ireland UNECE 26-28 April, 2010 Presented by Helen Cahill, CSO Ireland

2. Overview • Gender and sex disaggregation of economic and social statistics is reasonably well-developed • This disaggregation is accepted as an essential view in understanding the data, differences in the lives of men and women, and in economic and social policy formulation • Gender disaggregation of environmental data may in time become just as important • However people-oriented environmental indicators have not yet been developed • Hence we currently have a set of genderless environmental statistics

3. Need for environment gender view • The behaviours and consumption of people are a primary cause of environmental damage • The decisions and behaviours of women and men may have different impacts on the environment • Men and women may respond differently to policies addressing environmental concerns through modifying their behaviour and consumption • The black box of how men and women respond to climate and environment concerns requires gender disaggregated environmental statistics

4. Example statistical areas of interest • 2009 Eurobarometer attitudes to climate change survey • Personal consumption • Transport • Recycling • Energy use • Decision-making in industries using raw materials • Decision-making in environmental policy areas • Consequences of environmental damage on men and women (water, food, living locations, income earning etc.)

5. 2009 Eurobarometer Survey • A survey of Europeans’ attitudes towards most serious problems facing our world today • Climate change was ranked as the second most serious problem by both men and women • Survey looked at recycling, energy and water consumption in the home, buying local produce to reduce transportation requirement, car related activities, air transport, renewable energy • Survey identified differences in the attitudes and behaviours of men and women

6. Eurobarometer continued • Women were generally more responsive to changing their behaviours towards more environmentally friendly practices • e.g. 58% of women, who were taking personal action, reduced home water consumption compared with 51% of the men who were taking personal action • Survey showed that it was possible to identify and collect people-oriented environmental indicators

7. Eurobarometer: Men/Women taking personal action

8. Personal consumption • Is there a significant difference in the impact on the environment in the quantity and type of goods consumed by men and women? • Would require environment effect factors at detailed product level (reflecting raw material composition of products and usage effect on the environment) • Could household purchase surveys be adapted to collect some basic data on personal consumption and green influences on which products to purchase ?

9. Transport • Data from the 2006 Census of Population in Ireland showed that women are more likely to drive to work • Men hold more than half of full driving licences in Ireland • A detailed travel survey analysing mode of travel, vehicle size and ownership, fuel consumption, purpose of journeys, whether other passengers were carried etc. would be very useful • Data on travel/journey purposes from time use surveys may also be useful e.g. to bring children to school

10. Recycling and energy conservation • Labour force survey module in Ireland in 2005 on Recycling and Energy Conservation • Women had higher rates of recycling products such as paper, cans, plastic and clothing • Recycling data suggested that behaviours of men who lived alone were worse than if women also lived in the household => more consistent behaviour of women • There were smaller differences between men and women in relation to energy conservation measures with women more likely to be pro-active

11. Single person households – recycling rates

12. Single person households – energy conservation

13. Going Forward • Discussions needed regarding whether gender and people dimensions should be mainstreamed into environmental statistics • Would require adding some new people related environment indicators into existing international sets • May require making changes to existing survey methodologies

14. Going forward (continued) • This data would allow policy attempts to change behaviour to focus more clearly on behaviours of particular segments • Alternative is environmental statistics unable to distinguish socio-demographic including gender differences in behaviour and responsiveness to environmentally friendly practices