New research in support of U.N. Women’s HeForShe social movement reveals the majority of people don’t see gender equality as a prime concern or factor amid the climate crisis.
And what’s more, women are disproportionately experiencing the effects of climate change “as they constitute the majority of the world’s poor and are more dependent on natural resources which climate change threatens the most,” according to the study — produced by nonprofit Team Lewis Foundation (of creative agency Team Lewis).
The findings showcase the misconceptions around gender equity and issues like climate change, informed by a survey including more than 8,000 respondents aged 18 and over from a diverse global audience, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, China, India and Mexico, among other countries. The study shows that gender equality has lost ground to other societal issues, with those surveyed ranking gender equality as only the 10th most pressing issue, trailing climate change and healthcare, in importance.
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“I think what’s important, and the key message we’re trying to drive with this research is gender equality is getting demoted by climate change, COVID-19 and conflict,” Samuel Dean, chief executive officer of Team Lewis Foundation, told WWD. “Thinking about these in isolation isn’t the way to solve these. We have to start thinking about these things together.”
Sustainability, according to Dean, needs to address manifold issues at once, he said citing the U.N.’s published statistics (per a November 2021 report) that 80 percent of people displaced by climate change are women.
Climate change hurts women more, yet 53 percent of women think climate change affects everyone equally, while 45 percent of men think so, according to the study.
Once respondents learned that 80 percent of people displaced by climate change are women, they expressed surprise, sadness and disbelief. More than half (or 57 percent) said learning this information made them “extremely” or “very concerned.”
While the report reveals that gender equality has lost ground to other societal issues, an overwhelming majority (or 75 percent of respondents) believe women must be included in government solutions for fighting climate change.
Team Lewis Foundation has worked pro bono with U.N. Women’s global HeForShe campaign on three projects now spanning research topics like workplace transition, Gen Z’s influence on the workplace and a “post-COVID[-19] research study” geared toward gender equality.
The solutions are being presented in an intersectional scope as well.
“Part of this is looking at what the next generation thinks of this,” Dean said. “In terms of what actions can be taken — speaking out more against gender inequality, men taking on more traditional roles as well, partaking in conversations on gender equality when talking about COVID[-19], climate crisis…Promoting those laws against gender inequality. These are suggestions directly from women when we asked them.”
Referencing data on respondents’ increasingly political take on such issues, Dean added: “This is going to be for the private sector a big issue. You can’t just be showing you care about one issue, you need to be thinking thoughtfully how these issues intersect.”