Abstract: Dioecious species play a pivotal role in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the physiological and growth responses of widely distributed dioecious plants to environmental changes remain poorly understood from an integrated perspective. The studies about sexual differences in dioecious plants (64 valid literature references and 256 independent studies) under environmental changes were evaluated through a meta-analysis. Across all measured functional traits, the weighted response ratios to environmental stress ranged from -0.30 to -0.03, indicating an overall negative but variable effect on dioecious plants. Plant biomass and photosynthetic performance of both sexes were considerably affected by various stressors. Specifically, drought, salt, and heavy metal stress significantly reduced net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and total biomass, with drought being the most inhibitory. Moreover, this meta-analysis revealed that the inhibition effect was more pronounced in females than in males, and females exhibited a broader range of variation to environmental fluctuations. In addition, combined environmental stressors mitigated sexual differences in plant responses relative to single-factor stresses, with the effects varing by stress combination. Drought combined with high temperature or salt stress significantly reduced Pn and transpiration rate (E), whereas elevated CO₂ and temperature interactively increased total biomass. This meta-analysis revealed that males generally exhibited stronger stress tolerance than females in terms of photosynthetic performance and biomass accumulation, with sex- specific differences varying by species, stress type, and environmental interactions. Collectively, these findings provide valuable insights for understanding adaptation of dioecious plants to global environmental changes, and guidance for future research and ecological management involving dioecious species.