Fascinating figures - NIKK

According to 2001 figures, the ecological footprint of an EU citizen was approximately 3.8 hectares (9.4 acres). Most Nordic countries have double that footprint per person: in  Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway, the average footprint is between 6 and 7 hectares (14.8 – 17.3 acres) per person (data fo rIceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland Islands is not available). If the Earth’s entire surface were di vided equally between all of its inhabitants, the per-person figure would be 1.8 hectares (4.4 acres). Globally, only the United Arab Emirates, United States, Kuwait and Australia have ecological footprints that are greater than 7 hectares per inhabitant (1). Women tend to have smaller ecological footprints than men (2), but at the same time, research shows that emission levels increase with higher income for both women and men (3).

The relationship between gender and consumption

Sustainable consumption has been on the international agenda since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. But very little attention has been given to the influence of gender on consumption and lifestyle (4). Research shows, however, that how men and women consume differs in many respects, regardless of whether it is in developing countries, Europe or the Nordic countries. Women tend to purchase more basic goods like food, clothing and household items, whereas men more often buy expensive capital goods, such as houses, cars and electronics (5.)

Swedish statistics on money spent on consumption by men and women, measured in Swedish crowns, show that men spend more money on transportation (SEK 1,350) compared to women (SEK 740). Men also eat out more (SEK 2,010) than women (SEK 1,370) and spend more money on alcohol (SEK 360) and tobacco (SEK 620) compared to women, who on average spend SEK 160 on alcohol and SEK 380 on tobacco (6). This also carries with it consequences for health.

On the other hand, women buy more consumer goods and hygiene products (SEK 820) than men (SEK 190). Women also spend more on clothing and shoes (SEK 4,720) compared to men (SEK 3,010) (7), as shown in the table below:

Expenditures in SEK / capita 2004

Type	Men	Women	Men's consumption in relation to women's
Meals outside the home	2010	1370	3/2
Alcohol	360	160	2.5/1
Tobacco products	620	380	2/1
Consumer goods	190	820	1/4
- incl. hygiene products	40	800	1/20
Clothes and shoes	3010	4720	2/3
Health care	1470	2450	2/3
Transport	1350	740	3/2
- of which car repairs and maintenance	670	380	2/1
Leisure time activities	2800	2650	1/1
- of which sport	1350	970	3/2
- books, magazines, TV licence	430	690	2/3

Other studies reveal similar differences between consumption patterns among men and women. One study that included Sweden and Norway focused on single households, converting their consumption to energy use. The study showed that men consumed more when it came to transportation, eating out, and alcohol and tobacco. Women’s consumption was greater in the areas of food, hygiene and household items. Men’s energy intensity (mega joules per SEK) based on their consumption was also greater than that of women – in all income categories. All in all, single Swedish men with no children used 22 percent more energy than women in the same situation. In Norway, single men used 8 percent more energy than women (9). At the same time, however, research shows that the patterns of consumption among women and men are becoming more similar; for example, it is above all younger men who are spending more money on personal hygiene than before (8).

Women boycott more

Research indicates that people in Nordic countries are more likely than people elsewhere in Western Europe to use the market as an arena for making political choices, boycotting particular products and choosing to buy more ecological and “certified” products (“political consumerism”). According to research, women are more likely than men to make such choices in all Nordic countries (10). In one study, where respondents were asked whether they had engaged in making such choices in the last 12 months, the results showed that about half responded affirmatively and that among them, the proportion of women was 15–30 percent higher than that of men. Political consumerism was most common in Sweden, where 67 percent of women and 54 percent of men responded to the question in the affirmative. Of people in the Nordic countries, Norwegians were the least likely to make politically-driven choices in their consumption – 44 percent of women and 34 percent of men reported having done so. The gender difference was greatest in Finland, where 55 percent of women and 38 percent of men had neither boycotted a product nor opted to buy “certified” products. The results are presented in the table below (11):

Women and men and "political consumerism". (%)

	Danmark	Finland	Norge	Sverige
Kvinnor	52	55	44	67
Män	44	38	34	54

Overall, women’s and men’s lifestyles and consumption are connected to the economic resources to which they have access, but they are also influenced by attitudes, moral and ethical values, and their way of relating to other people and nature (12).

 

Picture: Colourbox

(1)    WWF 2004:10

(2)    Johnsson-Latham 2006:15

(3)    Westlund 2011:21

(4)    Johnsson Latham 2006:3, Schultz & Stiess 2009

(5)    Schultz & Stiess 2009:27

(6)    Johnsson-Latham 2007:39

(7)    Johnsson-Latham 2007:39

(8)    Konsumtionsrapporten 2010:33

(9)    Räty & Carlsson-Kanyama 2010:647

(10)  Micheletti&Isenhour 2010:134

(11)  Ekström 2010:134

(12) Johnsson-Latham 2006:15