Introduction/Problem Statement Prior research suggests that people associate sustainable consumption with femininity (Pinna, 2020). Unknown, however, is whether the inverse link exists, i.e., do consumers likewise assume that feminine products are more sustainable. This question has become increasingly important as sustainability continues to play a key role in consumer purchase decisions. If the sustainability-femininity link extends to brand perceptions, consumers may infer higher sustainability from brands perceived as more feminine, regardless of brands’ actual sustainability practices. Our study investigates this possibility by examining whether perceptions of femininity correlate with perceived sustainability in evaluations of real-world brands. Methods/Approach We conducted a preregistered study with 1200 participants to test whether femininity and sustainability perceptions correlate with sustainability perceptions of real-world brands. In a between-subjects design, participants were randomly assigned to rate either the perceived femininity or perceived sustainability of 16 brands across several different product categories. The brands used were sourced from The Good Shopping Guide, which provides (objective) sustainability ratings of companies (score from 1-100) based on their impact on the environment, animals, and people. Participants saw an equal number of independently rated sustainable and unsustainable brands. Findings/Implications Overall, correlations between brand sustainability and femininity were not significant. Across product categories correlation coefficients ranged from r=-.31 to r=.15. Notably, when we looked at brands from product categories that target specific genders (e.g., personal care) the correlation between sustainability and femininity was negative, but when looking at brands from non-gendered categories (e.g., food), the predicted positive correlation emerged. While overall the results did not support our main predictions, follow up analyses suggest that femininity and sustainability perceptions may correlate more strongly in contexts where brands are not explicitly targeted toward a specific gender. This opens avenues for future research into the situational and category-specific factors that shape brand perception. References Pinna, M. (2020). Do gender identities of femininity and masculinity affect the intention to buy ethical products? Psychology & Marketing, 37(3), 384–397. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21298.
Diana Pinto (Tue,) studied this question.