Women and sustainable consumption in emerging markets: implications for management
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Abstract
Sustainability and marketing literature identifies women as a segment with consistent patterns of environmental sensitivity, enabling the examination of ecological orientations in emerging contexts. This study analyzes attitudes, practices, and consumption preferences toward eco-friendly products among Chilean women, identifying sociodemographic factors associated with ecological self perception and willingness to pay for sustainable alternatives. Using a non-experimental, cross-sectional quantitative design, a survey was administered to 391 women residing in a strategic urban center in Chile (Coquimbo). The analysis integrated descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression, and cluster segmentation. Results reveal an identity legitimacy gap, as only one in four women self-identifies as “green” despite reporting favorable attitudes, alongside an attitude–behavior gap in higher effort actions. Regression indicates increased ecological self-perception among young women (OR=2.05, p=.017) and those in larger households (OR=1.62, p=.047). Cluster segmentation identifies three groups: Green Core (9.7%), Economical (23.0%), and a dominant Pragmatic segment (67.3%), with a willingness-to-pay threshold between 10% and 25%. It is concluded that, in emerging contexts, the expansion of sustainable consumption requires strategies that overcome identity and economic gaps, engaging the majority pragmatic segment through offerings that balance sustainability, quality, and price, consolidating the adoption of ecological practices beyond the core of environmentally committed consumers.
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