The eco gender gap: 71% of women try to live more ethically, compared to 59% of men

While consumers are increasingly interested in topics like ethics and sustainability, it seems that Britain’s men are lagging behind women when it comes to maintaining good environmental habits.

At a national level, 65% of Brits say they are trying to live more ethically than a year ago. But while a conscientious 71% of women are increasing their commitment to ethical living, just 59% of men say they’ve been living more ethically over the past year.

The importance of being “in it together” is echoed by the fact that an impressive 61% of Brits say they are trying to encourage their family/friends to be more ethical. But once again, men (56%) are less inclined than women (65%) to encourage their friends to adopt an ethical lifestyle.

Mintel research also shows that men are markedly less conscientious than their female counterparts when it comes to maintaining environmentally-friendly habits. Indeed, while overall recycling is the nation’s number one ethical habit (72% of Brits indicate that they recycle all the time), men (67%) are considerably less likely than women (77%) to be committed to regular recycling. And although the battle of the thermostat is rife in Britain’s households, Mintel reveals that women (64%) are more likely than men (58%) to regularly turn down/off the heating when they are not at home.

Other areas of significant male/female ethical contrasts include water conservation, as 30% of men always try to use less water versus 38% of women and food waste, as 27% of men frequently compost food waste compared to 33% of women.