1. Gerry Brady, CSO Ireland UNECE 26-28 April, 2010 Gerry Brady, CSO Ireland UNECE 26-28 April, 2010 Presented by Helen Cahill, CSO Ireland

2. Overview Gender and sex disaggregation of economic and social statistics is reasonably well-developed This disaggregation is accepted as an essential view in understanding the data, differences in the lives of men and women, and in economic and social policy formulation Gender disaggregation of environmental data may in time become just as important However people-oriented environmental indicators have not yet been developed Hence we currently have a set of genderless environmental statistics 2

3. Need for environment gender view The behaviours and consumption of people are a primary cause of environmental damage The decisions and behaviours of women and men may have different impacts on the environment Men and women may respond differently to policies addressing environmental concerns through modifying their behaviour and consumption The black box of how men and women respond to climate and environment concerns requires gender disaggregated environmental statistics 3

4. Example statistical areas of interest 2009 Eurobarometer attitudes to climate change survey Personal consumption Transport Recycling Energy use Decision-making in industries using raw materials Decision-making in environmental policy areas Consequences of environmental damage on men and women (water, food, living locations, income earning etc.) 4

5. 2009 Eurobarometer Survey A survey of Europeans’ attitudes towards most serious problems facing our world today Climate change was ranked as the second most serious problem by both men and women Survey looked at recycling, energy and water consumption in the home, buying local produce to reduce transportation requirement, car related activities, air transport, renewable energy Survey identified differences in the attitudes and behaviours of men and women 5

6. Eurobarometer continued Women were generally more responsive to changing their behaviours towards more environmentally friendly practices e.g. 58% of women, who were taking personal action, reduced home water consumption compared with 51% of the men who were taking personal action Survey showed that it was possible to identify and collect people-oriented environmental indicators 6

7. Eurobarometer: Men/Women taking personal action Persons taking personal action% of men% of women Separating waste for recycling76%81% Reducing consumption of energy at home61%66% Reducing consumption of water at home51%58% Reducing consumption of disposable items38%43% Buying seasonal and local products26%32% Environmentally friendly transport mode27%29% Reducing use of their car25%23% Purchasing a more environmentally friendly car24%17% 7

8. Personal consumption Is there a significant difference in the impact on the environment in the quantity and type of goods consumed by men and women? Would require environment effect factors at detailed product level (reflecting raw material composition of products and usage effect on the environment) Could household purchase surveys be adapted to collect some basic data on personal consumption and green influences on which products to purchase ? 8

9. Transport Data from the 2006 Census of Population in Ireland showed that women are more likely to drive to work Men hold more than half of full driving licences in Ireland A detailed travel survey analysing mode of travel, vehicle size and ownership, fuel consumption, purpose of journeys, whether other passengers were carried etc. would be very useful Data on travel/journey purposes from time use surveys may also be useful e.g. to bring children to school 9

10. Recycling and energy conservation Labour force survey module in Ireland in 2005 on Recycling and Energy Conservation Women had higher rates of recycling products such as paper, cans, plastic and clothing Recycling data suggested that behaviours of men who lived alone were worse than if women also lived in the household => more consistent behaviour of women There were smaller differences between men and women in relation to energy conservation measures with women more likely to be pro-active 10

11. Single person households – recycling rates Item recycled % of men living alone % of women living alone Overall69%82% Paper60%75% Aluminium cans60%72% Tin cans59%73% Glass57%69% Cardboard56%70% Plastic45%57% Clothing30%56% 11

12. Single person households – energy conservation Energy conservation method % of men living alone % of women living alone Double glazing62%70% Lagging jacket63%73% Attic/roof insulation56%63% Draught stripping42%45% CFL light bulbs22%30% 12

13. Going Forward Discussions needed regarding whether gender and people dimensions should be mainstreamed into environmental statistics Would require adding some new people related environment indicators into existing international sets May require making changes to existing survey methodologies 13

14. Going forward (continued) This data would allow policy attempts to change behaviour to focus more clearly on behaviours of particular segments Alternative is environmental statistics unable to distinguish socio-demographic including gender differences in behaviour and responsiveness to environmentally friendly practices 14