“Self-identified levels of masculinity may explain apparent gender differences, with more masculine men more resistant to reducing their meat intake,” the study authors said.

A new study has found that men are less likely to go vegetarian or vegan for it threatens their perception of masculinity.

Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU), conducted a survey to determine how gender perception plays a role in meat consumption habits.

They found that men resist going meat-free because they see meat as a symbol of masculinity. According to popular perception in the country, eating meat makes a man feel “manly” while giving up meat could be a threat to their identity.

Study findings

The study, published in the journal Sex Roles, looked at online responses from 4,897 people of which 48.3% identified as men and 51.2% as women.  The ages of the sample size ranged from 18 to 92 years

The researchers also evaluated the extent to which males felt masculine and females felt feminine and analyzed whether this played a role in their attitudes towards meat consumption.

They found that both men and women fell victim to ideas of gender norms when it came to attitudes towards meat consumption.

Those with more gender-typical self-ratings were more likely to rate meat as “nice” and “natural”.

Additionally, those who conformed to typical gender norms were less likely to adopt vegetarian or vegan diets, possibly due to a violation of cultural eating norms or more conservative views.

The findings are in line with previous research from 2021 that revealed how nearly 70% of male respondents in Australia would rather cut their life expectancy by up to 10 years than ditch meat.

“Our findings support previous research suggesting that it is not simply being male that leads to greater meat consumption behaviours,” the ANU study authors said.

“Instead, self-identified levels of masculinity may explain apparent gender differences, with more masculine men more resistant to reducing their meat intake.

“Interestingly, we also found some evidence that women’s femininity was similarly (and often, just as strongly) associated with meat-related attitudes as men’s masculinity.

“Thus, self-rated gender typicality can help us understand the gendered nature of meat consumption and low prevalence of veganism in Australia.”

Time to change the perception

In 2015, Australia was labelled as the “meat-eating capital of the world”. Moreover,  meat consumption in the country is among the highest in the developed world.

According to the study authors, addressing psychological factors such as gender and cultural norms, which in part drive the high meat consumption rates, can help increase rates of vegetarianism and veganism in Australia.

They further said that that alt- meat brands could use these ideas in their marketing campaigns to cater to people that are unwilling to change their eating habits because of gender perception.

Moreover, awareness campaigns on the impact of meat and dairy consumption on health, planets and animals could also sway people to alter their dietary habits.

Research shows that red meat consumption has been linked to heart disease and rectum cancer, which are major health concerns. Additionally, livestock farming on a massive scale can lead to the destruction of habitats and generate greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change. In fact, industrial meat production, especially beef, is responsible for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Livestock farming is also a leading cause of deforestation and biodiversity loss. All of these factors highlight the importance of reducing our meat consumption and opting for more plant-based diets.

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