Reducing the Green Gender Gap

This Earth Day, it’s worth thinking about how we introduce our children to nature—and who feels like it’s “for them.”

Because there’s a growing issue researchers call the Green Gender Gap: a pattern where girls and women tend to show more concern for the environment and take a stronger

interest in nature than boys and men.

That gap doesn’t suddenly appear in adulthood. It starts much earlier.

Environmentalism and the natural world is often framed around:

• caring for the planet

• protecting living things

• ethical responsibility

All important values—but ones that are often culturally coded as feminine. When that’s the dominant framing, boys can quietly disengage.

But nature isn’t just about caring. It’s also about exploring, building, discovering, getting muddy, testing ideas, and being curious about how things work.

And that side of nature matters just as much.

🌱 Why early experiences matter

From digging in the garden to building dens or hunting for bugs, early outdoor experiences shape how children relate to the world around them.

Children aren’t born thinking nature is “for girls” or “for boys.” But they do pick up societal cues quickly. By around age five, many children already have clear ideas about what boys and girls should do. By age ten, those beliefs are often firmly in place. If certain types of outdoor play or environmental interests feel “not for them,” because of a perception that it is "for girls", some children—especially boys—may start to opt out.

And that has long-term consequences.

📉 The bigger picture

Parents play a direct role in reinforcing, or breaking, this stereotype. Guidance from organisations like UNICEF highlight that parents often unconsciously reinforce gender stereotypes through play choices and activities.

Research consistently shows a gender gap in environmental attitudes and behaviours.

Studies like Is Eco-Friendly Unmanly? The Green-Feminine Stereotype and Its Effect on Sustainable Consumption by Aaron R. Brough and James E. B. Wilkie highlight how eco-friendly behaviours are sometimes perceived as more feminine—leading some men to avoid them.

Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) also shows that women consistently report higher levels of concern about environmental issues than men.

This isn’t about ability or interest—it’s about perception.

When something is subtly framed as “not for you,” it’s easy to disengage and dismiss.

🌍 So what can parents do?

We need to broaden how we present nature.

That means making space for:

• adventure and exploration

• problem-solving and building

• hands-on discovery

• risk-taking and curiosity

Alongside care, empathy, and responsibility.

For example, instead of only talking about “protecting nature,” we can also:

• explore how things grow and change

• experiment in the garden

• build, dig, climb, and investigate

• encourage questions and discovery

🌿 A small shift that matters

The amount of time children spend outdoors has dropped significantly in a generation. Reversing that trend matters—not just for their wellbeing, but for the future of the environment. Because the children who feel connected to nature today are the ones most likely to protect it tomorrow.

So this Earth Day, it’s a simple reminder:

Nature isn’t “for girls” or “for boys.” It’s for curious minds, muddy hands, and growing imaginations.

And every child deserves to feel like they belong in it.

🌱 Simple ways to get started

Outdoor toys and activities can play a big role here—not as a replacement for nature, but as a gateway into it and help make outdoors a fun place to be. Tools that invite digging, building, experimenting or exploring can help children engage in ways that feel natural to them. See our Outdoor Toys section for the perfect activities to support outdoor play and exploration whether in the back garden or at your local park.