Microfoundations of the Economic Gender Gap in Fossil Fuel Economies

• In Event: Gender and Climate

Abstract

Gendered backlash to decarbonization is a crucial barrier to addressing climate change. When men lose jobs in the fossil fuel industries, prior research suggests that both the men and their households become more conservative and patriarchal. What are the microfoundations of gendered attachments to carbon-intensive industries? We analyze household level dynamics to understand how the energy transition’s challenge for male breadwinners threatens traditional gender dynamics. Using an original targeted survey of household units in US counties with strong coal industry ties in 2000, we explore differences in energy transition experiences and policy preferences both between and within households. The asymmetric impact of decarbonization on men and women may change intra-household bargaining dynamics around women’s labor force participation, childcare duties, and participation in green industries. We identify policies that have the potential to break the established link between economic decline and resurgent patriarchal movements within households and generate support for climate-friendly economies.

Author

• Cleo O'Brien-Udry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign