Previous research has indicated a heightened environmental concern among women, alongside a propensity to adopt pro-environmental behavior (Zelezny et al., 2000). Yet, the underrepresentation of women in energy communities is at odds with these findings (Hanke and Lowitzsch, 2021). Our study aims to provide empirical insights into the specific attributes of renewable energy projects that influence engagement decisions, examining the conditions that sway investment and participation across genders. We aim to highlight the gender disparity particularly in decision-making authority (Kuschan, 2020) and investment levels (Fraune, 2015), as well as gendered in-group preferences (Rudman and Goodwin, 2004). We employ a discrete choice experiment (Holmes et al., 2017) as part of an online survey to elucidate the preferences of two distinct samples: customers of a Bavarian energy community (N = 132) and German citizens recruited from a panel (N = 773). We included attributes such as energy source, right to vote, minimum investment threshold, annual benefit, capital commitment period, likelihood of capital loss, and opportunities for involvement.
Initial findings suggest that in the panel sample, women are less likely to choose male-dominated energy community investments (b = -0.08, p < 0.001). Additionally, financial incentives appear to be less important for woman when choosing (b = -0.05, p = 0.011). Similarly, women from the Bavarian energy community showed a preference for energy community investments when more women are involved (b = 0.12, p = 0.029).