Thesis

The effects of institutional gender makeup and gender equality on climate change policies and outcomes

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Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2023
Thesis identifier
  • T16719
Person Identifier (Local)
  • 201950667
Qualification Level
Qualification Name
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • This thesis investigates the impacts of women’s representation and gender equality on climate change policy, outputs, and outcomes from a comparative perspective. As a basis for my empirical analyses, I first set out a review of the literature on the topic of gender and climate change. Then, in my first empirical chapter, I investigate the effects of increased women’s representation in democratic parliaments on renewable energy consumption. I add to existing literature by specifically investigating a) the role of state wealth, particularly because much literature indicates that gender differentials in environmental attitudes hold up mostly in developed states and b) how long renewable energy outcomes take to materialise as a result of increased women’s representation. Analysis of time series cross-sectional data shows that increased women’s representation is associated with increased renewable energy consumption over time in both high- and middle-income states. Next, I investigate if the benefits of increased women’s representation on environmental outcomes are contingent on governance norms, such as corruption. I investigate how corruption can restrict, tokenise, and marginalize women representatives, inhibiting their impact on environmental policy. Analysing time series cross-sectional data, I use moderation analyses to demonstrate that only in contexts of low corruption does women’s representation correlate with improved environmental outcomes. Finally, I expand my analysis outside of women’s representation to suggest a research agenda exploring the role of economic and political gender equality more generally on environmentalism with specific regard to the heavily male-dominated fossil fuel industry. Using time series cross-sectional data, I show that women indeed have lower rates of labour force participation (WLFP) and political empowerment (WPE) in high fuel-exporting countries. Additional analysis shows descriptive correlations between a) global trends of increased democracy & women’s representation, economic diversification, and internet access, b) both WLFP and WPE, and c) subsequent reductions in fuel exports in high-exporting countries. This preliminary analysis may serve as a basis for the continued research agenda I put forth in this chapter. Finally, I offer a concluding synthesis and a path for future research.
Advisor / supervisor
  • Bayer, Patrick, 1983-
  • Reher, Stefanie, 1986-
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DOI

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