The Role of Women Empowerment on Environmental Sustainability: A Cross-Country Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33423/jsis.v20i1.7545Keywords:
strategic innovation, environmental sustainability, CO2 emissions, women political empowerment index (WPE), women civil society participation index (WCSP), women civil liberties index (WCL), women political participation index (WPP)Abstract
The study aims to provide insights into the impact of women's political empowerment on environmental sustainability measured using the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. We use a panel dataset of 135 countries (30 developed and 105 developing) from 1990 to 2020. The analyses are conducted separately for developed and developing countries. We use the Women’s Political Empowerment Index (WPE) constructed by the Varieties of Development Project (V-Dem). WPE has three dimensions: women’s civil liberties, women’s participation in civil society, and women’s political participation. The dependent variable, Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions, along with control variables such as GDP per capita, population levels, and renewable energy consumption, are derived from the World Development Indicators (WDI) dataset. Using fixed effects (FE) panel data analysis, our findings indicate that, in most cases, higher levels of women’s political empowerment resulted in lower CO2 emissions across both developed and developing countries.
References
Asongu, S.A., Messono, O.O., & Guttemberg, K.T. (2022). Women Political Empowerment and Vulnerability to Climate Change: Evidence from 169 Countries. Climate Change.
Bhalotra, S., & Clots-Figueras, I. (2014). Health and the Political Agency of Women. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 6(2), 164–197.
Clots-Figueras, I. (2012). Are Female Leaders Good for Education? Evidence from India. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 4(1), 212–244.
Denton, F. (2002). Climate change vulnerability, impacts, and adaptation: Why does gender matter? Gender & Development, 10(2), 10–20.
DiRienzo, C.E., & Das, J. (2019). Women in government, environment, and corruption. Environmental Development, 30, 103–113.
Ergas, C., & York, R. (2012). Women's status and carbon dioxide emissions: A quantitative cross-national analysis. Social Science Research, 41(4), 965–976.
Fraune, C. (2016). The politics of speeches, votes, and deliberations: Gendered legislating and energy policy-making in Germany and the United States. Energy Research & Social Science, 19, 134–141.
Fredriksson, P.G., & Wang, L. (2011). Sex and environmental policy in the US House of Representatives. Economics Letters, 113(3), 228–230.
Givens, J.E., & Jorgenson, A.K. (2011). The effects of affluence, economic development, and environmental degradation on environmental concern: A multilevel analysis. Organization & Environment, 24(1), 74–91.
Halim, N., Yount, K.M., Cunningham, S.A., & Pande, R.P. (2016). Women’s Political Empowerment and Investment in Primary Schooling in India. Social Indicators Research, 125(3), 813–851.
Kadir, A. (2023). Beyond the effect, an examination of elements empowering women in politics on C02 reduction: From an econometric approach. Journal of Political Administrative and Local Studies, 6(1), 1–20.
Lv, Z., & Deng, C. (2019). Does women's political empowerment matter for improving the environment? A heterogeneous dynamic panel analysis. Sustainable Development, 27(4), 603–612.
Norgaard, K., & York, R. (2005). Gender equality and state environmentalism. Gender & Society, 19(4), 506–522.
Nugent, C., & Shandra, J.M. (2009). State environmental protection efforts, women's status, and world polity: A cross-national analysis. Organization & Environment, 22(2), 208–229.
Salahodjaev, R., & Jarilkapova, D. (2020). Women in parliament and deforestation: Cross- country evidence. Journal for Nature Conservation, 55, 125830.
Saleem, H., Jiandong, W., Aldakhil, A.M., Nassani, A.A., Abro, M.M.Q., Zaman, K., . . . Rameli, M.R.M. (2018). Socio-economic and environmental factors influenced the United Nations healthcare sustainable agenda: Evidence from a panel of selected Asian and African countries. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26(14), 14435–14460.
Scannell, L., & Gifford, R. (2013). Personally relevant climate change: The role of place attachment and local versus global message framing in engagement. Journal of Environment and Behavior, 45(1), 60–85.
Shandra, J.M., Shandra, C.L., & London, B. (2008). Women, non-governmental organizations, and deforestation: A cross-national study. Population and Environment, 30(1–2), 48–72.
Silva, A.M., Campos, P.H., Mattos, I.E., Hajat, S., & Lacerda. (2019). Environmental exposure to pesticides and breast cancer in a region of intensive agribusiness activity in Brazil: A case-control study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(20), 3951.
Sundström, A., Paxton, P., Wang, Y.T., & Lindberg, S.I. (2017). Women's political empowerment: A new global index, 1900–2012. World Development, 94, 321–335.
Swamy, A., Knack, S., Lee, Y., & Azfar, O. (2001). Gender and Corruption. Journal of Development Economics, 64(1), 25–55.
Xiao, C., & McCright, A.M. (2015). Gender differences in environmental concern: Revisiting the institutional trust hypothesis in the USA. Environment and Behavior, 46(1), 17–37.
