Män pratar miljö - Diskursiva maskuliniteter i mäns samtal om klimatförändringar och miljövänliga resor

Abstract

The fact that actions such as driving, shopping and travelling contribute to climate change is something that individuals may regard in various ways. Research indicates that the concern and willingness of individuals to change their everyday life in order to reduce their impact on the climate might be gendered. Men in Sweden appear to be less worried and in addition travel in a less environmentally-friendly way than women. This article investigates linkages between masculinities, femininities and individuals’ views on climate change by analyzing focus group conversations with men. The ways that these men made use of, reproduced or challenged discourses of masculinities, when positioning themselves in relation to climate change and sustainable travel, were scrutinized. Three diverse discursive practices were found, each one enabling various ways of positioning regarding the individual’s responsibility for travelling sustainably. A discourse about men’s affection for cars was used as well as challenged by the men talking about sustainable travel. Some men used the discourse in order to justify unsustainable travelling. Other men used it to position themselves as different kinds of men. Furthermore, ecofeminist discourses about women as having a “closer” relation to the environment or nature as feminine were not recreated during the conversations. The article contributes to a deeper understanding of men’s reasoning on climate change and sustainable travel. It thus challenges narrow assumptions of men as environmental rouges and masculinity as problematic in relation to environmental issues.