Are female-dominated families more energy-saving? Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China
2021
As the second largest energy user after the industrial sector, households are under enormous pressure to save energy and reduce emissions. Based on the particular perspective of gender-specific differences in energy use, we conducted a large-scale questionnaire survey among residents in Jiangsu, China, and investigated household daily energy use (DEU) and energy-efficient product purchases (EEPPs). We also measured the distribution of family decision-making power between husbands and wives using four dimensions: daily expenditure decisions (DEDs), large-scale commodity purchase decisions (LCPDs), children's education decisions, and elder support decisions, and we furthermore explored the influence of the conjugal power core on household energy conservation. The results showed that male-dominated families use more energy and were less likely to buy energy-efficient products than gender neutral families (0.814 times the DEU; 1.202 times the EEPPs) and female-dominated families (0.705 times the DEU; 1.325 times the EEPPs). Specifically, when women constituted the power core in respect to decision-making about daily household expenditure, the household's daily energy consumption was significantly lower, and this did not affect LCPDs; when women represented the power core of decision-making about the purchase large-scale commodities for the household, EEPPs and DEU both tended to go green. The endogeneity and robustness tests also confirmed that the results were reliable and stable. Our findings provide new ideas for the government, which can contribute to the formulation of more effective energy-saving and emission-reduction strategies.
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