{"id":96089,"date":"2023-11-29T17:10:34","date_gmt":"2023-11-29T16:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aprifel-pp.mentalworks.biz\/?post_type=article_revue&p=96089"},"modified":"2023-11-29T17:10:42","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T16:10:42","slug":"owns-perception-of-gender-matters-for-meat-consumption-and-vegetarianism","status":"publish","type":"article_revue","link":"https:\/\/aprifel-pp.mentalworks.biz\/en\/global-fv-newsletter-article\/owns-perception-of-gender-matters-for-meat-consumption-and-vegetarianism\/","title":{"rendered":"Own’s perception of gender matters for meat consumption and vegetarianism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Social influence has been consistently used by scholars to promote a greener diet. Yet, societal expectations about food, such as the association between masculinity and meat or a high national consumption of meat, can deter people from fruit and vegetable consumption. In this study, societal expectations about meat and its implications for future interventions are explored.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although social influence<\/strong> can be used <\/strong>to encourage people<\/strong> towards healthier food choices <\/strong>(Higgs et al. 2019)<\/a>, societal expectations<\/strong> about food <\/strong>can be a barrier <\/strong>to more plant-based diets<\/strong>. Multiple articles have established a link between masculinity and meat consumption<\/strong> (Tuohy, 2021<\/a> ; Rozin et al., 2012<\/a>), which would prevent men <\/strong>from switching to a more plant-based diet<\/strong>, since men would have to eat meat to enact their masculinity<\/strong> and would be seen as less masculine if they were to follow a plant-based diet (Schrock and Schwalbe, 2009<\/a> ; Vandello et al., 2008<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, men <\/strong>have been consistently <\/strong>shown to eat more meat<\/strong> than women, and they are generally less open to veganism and vegetarianism<\/strong> (Daniel et al., 2011<\/a> ; Nakagawa & Hart, 2019<\/a>), with vegetarianism <\/strong>being associated <\/strong>with femininity <\/strong>(Mycek, 2018<\/a>). Even more so, a recent survey found that almost 3 in 4 Australian men<\/strong> claim they would rather have a decade taken from their life expectancy than give up meat <\/strong>(Tuohy, 2021<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since it appears that it is not being male but enacting masculinity<\/strong> that leads <\/strong>to the rejection <\/strong>of following a more plant-based diet<\/strong>, a recent study (Stanley et al., 2023<\/strong><\/a>) surveyed 4897 Australian men and women <\/strong>and explored the extent to which self-perceived masculinity and femininity<\/strong> explains differences <\/strong>in intentions to assume a more plant-based diet and to reduce meat consumption<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More masculine men are more resistant to reducing their meat intake <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When asked how often they had reduced <\/strong>their meat consumption<\/strong> in the past year, men reported less frequency than women<\/strong>, which is consistent <\/strong>with the general trend<\/strong> of men eating more meat<\/strong> than women (Daniel et al., 2011<\/a>). Importantly, the more men considered themselves as masculine<\/strong>, the less likely they were to have reduced their meat consumption<\/strong> in the last year. On the contrary, women\u2019s perception of their gender<\/strong> was not related<\/strong> to how often they reduced their meat consumption<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These results are consistent <\/strong>with the idea <\/strong>that meat consumption allows men to enact their masculinity <\/strong>and be perceived <\/strong>as more of a man<\/strong> (Schrock and Schwalbe, 2009<\/a>). Indeed, Australian culture places high value on barbeque, with this style of cooking seen as a \u2018masculine\u2019 activity (Nath, 2011<\/a>). Femininity is less precarious than masculinity, and thus doesn\u2019t require a constant demonstration to maintain<\/strong> (Vandello et al., 2008<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More gender-conforming men and women are less likely to consider vegetarianism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Men <\/strong>reported considering vegetarianism<\/strong> less than women<\/strong>. Since having a vegetarian diet<\/strong> is a behavior<\/strong> generally typed as feminine <\/strong>(Mycek, 2018<\/a>), this result was expected. A more surprising result<\/strong> is that women who identify as more feminine<\/strong> were also less likely to consider veganism <\/strong>compared to women who felt less feminine, although this trend was less strong than for men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors propose that adopting vegetarianism <\/strong>would be a violation <\/strong>of a societal expectation for both men and women<\/strong> in Australia<\/strong>. Indeed, Australians <\/strong>are almost exclusively omnivores<\/strong> (Sawe, 2017<\/a>) and Australia <\/strong>has been labeled the \u201cmeat-eating capital of the world<\/strong>\u201d (Ting, 2015<\/a>), showing how much meat consumption is embedded<\/strong> in Australian culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can potentially explain why femininity and masculinity similarly reduce intentions to follow a vegetarian diet. Specifically, those who are more likely to conform to societal expectations of their gender <\/strong>(i.e., masculinity for men and femininity for women) may be also less likely to engage in behaviors that deviates from food societal norms<\/strong>, such as going vegetarian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is possible to counteract social influence as a barrier to plant-based diets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This study is a great example of how social influence <\/strong>can be a barrier <\/strong>to adopting a plant-based diet<\/strong>, especially in countries with high meat consumption and where meat is related to masculine activities. Of course, interventions <\/strong>can be implemented <\/strong>to counteract<\/strong> this influence<\/strong>. When it comes to masculinity, masculine-friendly ways to encourage men to abstain from eating meat should be explored, especially since research suggests that men and women are equally likely to maintain a vegetarian diet (Hodson & Earle, 2018).<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, more masculine men might be more open to plant-based meats, which increasingly emulate their farmed meat counterparts in looks, packaging, taste, and social role, thus enabling participation in gendered gatherings like barbeques (Nath, 2011<\/a>). When it comes to high meat-consumption national norms, advertising a dynamic norm<\/span>