Gendered energy consumption goes beyond sex: Applying a multi-dimensional gender framework to Swiss survey data

Abstract

Recent research in the field of energy transition emphasizes that gender matters. However, gender is mainly included as a binary (male/female) category in survey-based research on individual energy consumption behaviour (ECB), ignoring socio-cultural and psychological dimensions of gender often found in the literature on ECB. This paper strives to overcome this mismatch and puts forward a novel multi-dimensional gender approach for survey-based ECB research. The approach is comprised of biological/self-ascribed sex, psychological (e.g. items based on BSRI scale) and socio-cultural factors (e.g., national employment stereotypes, social roles). We estimate regression models for two types of ECB (overall energy consumption and specific behaviours) in three main energy domains: electricity, heating and mobility. The dependent variables reflect a broad spectrum of ECB with varying scale types as proxies for the variety of measures in ECB research. For each ECB we compare a sex only model with the multi-dimensional model. All 12 models are estimated using data from 5011 participants from the Swiss Household Energy Demand Survey. Results show that different gender dimensions are relevant for distinct ECB. For example, psychological gender components with more feminine traits (e.g. affectionate, helpful) are linked to higher public transport use and active mobility and heating-related savings. More masculine traits (e.g. authority, leadership) are related to saving electricity through switching-off the TV. Binary sex only predicts differences in the mobility domain, possibly indicating an overestimation of (binary) sex in previous studies. Hence, the paper provides strong evidence for applying a multi-dimensional gender approach in future ECB research.