The Green Gender Gap in Adolescence: A Case Study of Norway

Abstract Previous research from predominantly Western contexts finds that men consistently show less concern for climate change and the environment than women, a pattern known as the Green Gender Gap. This article investigates whether political gender socialization contributes to this phenomenon. Drawing on two unique data sources from Norway, I find that among adolescents aged 15 to 18, girls are more supportive of the Green Party, consider environmental protection more important, and are more likely to prioritize the environment over oil production and industrial development. I also find that girls express greater concern about climate change than boys from as early as age 13, the earliest age at which data are available. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that early-life political gender socialization plays a key role in shaping the Green Gender Gap. The gap emerges before structural gender sorting into different educational and occupational trajectories, and while most adolescents still live at home and share the same formative environment. These findings are particularly striking given the Norwegian context, which is characterized by minimal structural gender segregation among adolescents. The findings in this article point to gendered socialization, rather than structural differences between women and men, as one of the driving forces behind the Green Gender Gap.