Gender And Animal Welfare Research

Gender seems to have a significant impact on the attitudes towards animal welfare. Despite the fact that the ethical nature of factory farming animals is a questionable topic, males seem to significantly consume more meat products than females. This is due to the fact that women have stronger negative attitudes toward animal experimentation, animal use and suffering (Eldridge & Gluck, 1996). Commonly, females express repulsion as well as negative attitudes towards consuming meat compared to men. Research have shown that this behavior among women is linked to post animal domestication (Phillips, 2009). In the past, women typically looked after animals at home in societies where animals are domesticated while men were involved in breadwinning

activities. Stronger animal welfare among women may be due to the increased responsibility that women have for children since they develop a stronger physical and mental connection with their offspring compared to men. Girls are more likely to have pets than boys due to this (Phillips, 2009). This suggests that females are able to make stronger relationships with animals and are more likely to become vegetarians or vegans. Compared to women, our ancestral backgrounds depict men as destroyers of nature and wildlife, exploiting Earth’s resources. They hunted and consumed many different animals and plants to ensure the survivability of humans without considering the effects on the planet. Due to their aggressive and “masculine” behaviors, their relationship with animals are dissimilar. Therefore, it can be stated that men consume more meat due to their lack of sympathy toward animal welfare.