Gender Differences in Environmental and Health-Related Risk Perception in Korea

Abstract

This study investigates how and why women and men differ in their perceptions of environmental and health-related risk. A substantial body of gender research indicates that the gender difference in the perception of environmental and health-related risk is due to gender differences in the socialization process. Using Korean General Social Survey (KGSS) 2013 data, we analyzed socio-demographic factors that affect gender differences across a varied range of environmental and health-related risks. Our results are not completely consistent with that of previous studies of gender differences in the perception of environmental and health-related risks, and the results vary across environmental and health-related issues as well as between men and women. This calls for an unpacking of each factor involved in gender roles and gender ideology and its impacts on gender differences in perceptions of environmental and health-related risks.