Paradoxical gender effects in in meat consumption across cultures

Abstract

Men tend to eat more meat than women, but it is not clear why. We tested three hypotheses in cross-cultural design (20,966 individuals in 23 countries across four continents): that gender differences are a) a function of biological differences in dietary needs and are thus universal, b) related to gender roles and thus weaker in countries with higher gender equality, or c) related to opportunities to express gender roles and thus stronger in countries with higher economic development. Across all countries, men tended to consume more meat than women. However, this difference increased significantly in countries with greater human development and gender equality. The paradoxical gender gap in meat consumption aligns with previous research that suggests greater differences in behavior across genders in contexts that are more developed and gender equal. We discuss implications for theories of culture and gender as well as practical implications for global meat reduction.