Investigating the factors influencing the environmental attitudes of the students of the humanities faculties of Shiraz University

About half of the world's population are women, and their attitudes toward the environment play an important role in the sustainable development of society. This study aimed to investigate gender differences in environmental attitudes. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data via the survey method. Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha, and construct validity was assessed through Factor analysis. The statistical population comprised all students of the humanities faculties at Shiraz University, with a sample size of 400 cases estimated using the Cochran formula and selected through stratified sampling. The study integrated theories such as ecofeminism, the Theory of Planned Behavior, the Magic Bullet theory, and Parsons' theory for model development. Results indicated no significant difference in environmental attitudes between male and female students. While there was no significant relationship between environmental attitudes and the use of environmental awareness sources, there was a notable difference in environmental attitudes among male students based on marital status, with single men exhibiting stronger environmental attitudes. Additionally, a direct and significant relationship was found between social responsibility and the dependent variable. There was also a significant difference in environmental attitudes based on educational level, particularly among female MA students who showed stronger environmental attitudes. Consequently, gender differences in environmental attitudes were evident when considering various social and background factors. The results of the multivariate regression analysis highlighted that social responsibility and marital status (being single) had the most substantial impact on students' environmental attitudes, collectively explaining 48% of the variance in the dependent variable. Overall, there appears to be a trend of gender convergence and dedifferentiation in the attitudes of male and female students toward the environment.