Like Father, Like Son? Masculinity, Socialization & Pro-Environmental Behavior

Sammanfattning

This thesis addresses masculine identities and men’s relationship to pro-environmental behavior in the Netherlands. Within this, I assess intergenerational dynamics in the form of father-son interactions as an impacting variable for these views. After conducting semi-structured interviews with father-son duo’s, this thesis finds that the views of these dyads on masculinity and sustainability overlap significantly. Here, the socialization of gender norms becomes apparent through the results, which show that traits associated with masculinity are not considered compatible with sustainability. The reputation of pro-environmental behavior, together with the social and economical costs and benefits seem to create a threshold for men to fully engage. By upholding masculine norms and hegemonic masculinity, fathers are decreasing their son’s sustainability potential through their language, actions, or upbringing. If the masculine social identity hinders men from being sustainable, then more progressive views on masculinity or decreased levels of masculinity lower the threshold to pro-environmental behavior. These findings have implications for how we can increase men’s participation in sustainable action and their interest in environmental policies.