Masculinity and men’s resistance to meat reduction

Abstract

This article conceptualizes meat reduction as a masculinity threat for men and presents strategies for making men more receptive to meat reduction. Meat consumption is stereotypically associated with traditional masculinity. Compared to women, men tend to eat more meat and to be more resistant to vegetarianism. Eschewing meat has potential to undermine feelings of and portrayals of manhood, whereas eating meat may provide men with a sense and image of traditional masculinity. Efforts to frame meat reduction as a masculine act may be useful for promoting behavior change among men. Three strategies are proposed for aligning meat reduction with masculinity, ripe for testing in future research. These strategies include emphasizing new forms of masculinity, masculine branding of meat reduction, and touting athletic/sexual performance benefits of meat reduction. Efforts that target beliefs about masculinity have promise for reducing meat consumption among men.

Paradoxical gender effects in in meat consumption across cultures

“…These ndings may hold some clues as to the most effective means of reducing meat consumption. For instance, interventions targeting individual behavior may be tailored based on gender and gender identity, and to focus on meat reduction among men [33]. Meat reduction strategies at a society level may bene t from considering context [41][42][43].…”

“…It may also provide clues about how to reduce meat consumption globally. If gender differences in meat consumption are universal, strategies designed to reduce meat consumption may vary across genders [33], but the gender-speci city of such strategies would not depend on culture. Finding that gender differences in meat consumption were stronger in countries with lower gender equality would highlight the role of masculinity and related stereotypes in reducing meat consumption among men [20].…”