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Gender differences in meat consumption and openness to vegetarianism
Daniel L Rosenfeld1, A Janet Tomiyama1
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
Appetite
|June 24, 2021
Summary
Men consume more meat and are less open to vegetarianism than women. Traditional gender roles influence meat consumption, particularly beef and chicken, and openness to vegetarianism, highlighting the need to consider within-gender differences.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Environmental Science
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Gender differences in meat consumption impact dietary sustainability.
- Men generally consume more meat and show less willingness to adopt vegetarian diets compared to women.
- Existing research often overlooks the nuances of within-gender variations in eating behaviors related to gender identity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how traditional gender role conformity and gender identity centrality predict meat consumption frequency and vegetarianism openness.
- To differentiate the impact of gender roles on the consumption of specific meat types (beef, chicken, pork, fish).
- To explore gender-specific motivations for vegetarianism, considering health and environmental factors.
Main Methods:
- A large-scale, preregistered study with 1706 participants.
- Statistical analysis to assess the predictive value of gender role conformity and identity centrality on meat consumption and vegetarianism.
- Categorization of meat types to analyze differential consumption patterns.
Main Results:
- Higher conformity to traditional gender roles correlated with increased beef and chicken consumption and decreased openness to vegetarianism in men, with no significant effect in women.
- No association was found between gender roles and pork or fish consumption.
- Among women, traditional gender role conformity and gender identity centrality were linked to vegetarianism openness for health reasons.
- Among men, lower traditional gender role conformity was associated with vegetarianism openness for environmental reasons.
Conclusions:
- Understanding meat consumption requires acknowledging specific meat types and within-gender heterogeneity.
- Traditional gender roles significantly influence meat consumption and vegetarianism attitudes, especially in men.
- Gender identity and role conformity play distinct roles in motivating vegetarianism for health (women) and environmental (men) reasons.
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