Gender, Pandemic, and the Present and Future of Global Environmental Protection

Chao Guo, Institute of Population Research, Peking University
Yushan Du, Institute of Population Research, Peking University
Xiaohan Zhu, Institute of Population Research, Peking University
Huameng Tang, Institute of Population Research, Peking University

Objectives: To explore gender heterogeneity in the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on individuals' environmental protection activities, environmental priorities, and confidence in future environmental protection movements. Methods: This study combines detailed COVID-19 surveillance data from the WHO with the Integrated Values Surveys, analyzing responses from 54,951 participants aged 15 and above across 18 countries on six continents. Using the global pandemic as a natural experiment, logistic regressions with Difference-in-Difference (DID) models were applied to provide a robust estimation of the pandemic's impact on environmental outcomes. Results: Pandemic exposure significantly reduced environmental protection activities (OR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.23–0.51), but increased environmentally prioritized attitudes (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.18–1.54) and confidence in future environmental movements (OR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.01–1.32). The negative effect on activities was consistent across genders. Notably, women were more responsive to the positive shift in environmental attitudes (OR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.30–1.86), while men showed greater sensitivity in confidence toward future movements (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.00–1.50). Conclusions: This study offers valuable insights into the complex relationship between gender, global crises, and individual environmental protection. The findings provide policymakers with crucial information for developing post-pandemic strategies to advance the SDGs.

Keywords: Gender Dynamics, Population, Environment, and Climate Change, Population, Shocks and Pandemics

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