New research published in Sex Roles suggests that increases in vegetarianism over the past 15 years are primarily limited to women, with little change observed among men.
Previous research has consistently shown that women are more likely than men to adopt vegetarian diets, driven by concerns over health, animal welfare, and the environment. While vegetarianism has been on the rise globally, little research has focused on how gender influences this trend over time.
Existing literature also highlights how meat consumption is culturally linked to masculinity, with men being more likely to associate meat with health and strength. These associations might discourage men from adopting vegetarian diets despite growing recognition of the health and environmental benefits of plant-based eating. John B. Nezlek and Catherine A. Forestell examined whether these gender differences in attitudes toward meat have influenced trends in vegetarianism over the past 15 years.
The study analyzed dietary data from 12,704 undergraduate students at a U.S. university who participated in surveys between 2008 and 2023. Participants were asked to describe their dietary habits, indicating whether they followed a vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, or omnivorous diet. Gender data was also collected. The dietary categories were grouped into two main measures: one for strict vegetarians (including vegans and lacto-vegetarians) and another that included pescatarians.
To further investigate gender differences in motivations for following a vegetarian diet, a second study was conducted using a sample of 363 U.S. adults recruited through Qualtrics. These participants identified their dietary habits in a similar manner and indicated their primary motivations for adopting a vegetarian diet. Participants ranked ethical, environmental, and health concerns as their main reasons for avoiding animal products.
The results of the first study revealed that over the 15-year period, the percentage of women identifying as vegetarian increased significantly, while the percentage of men remained relatively stable. Among women, the proportion of those who followed a vegetarian diet (excluding pescatarians) rose from 4.3% in 2008 to 8.7% in 2023. Including pescatarians, this percentage was even higher, reaching 12.2% by 2023.
In contrast, men showed no significant increase in vegetarianism over time, with only 2.7% identifying as vegetarian in 2023, compared to 3.2% in 2008. These findings highlight a growing gender gap, where women are increasingly adopting plant-based diets, while men’s dietary habits have remained relatively unchanged.
The second revealed that women were significantly more likely than men to cite ethical concerns, such as animal rights, as their primary reason for adopting a vegetarian diet. Men, on the other hand, were more likely to prioritize environmental concerns as their main motivation. Health concerns were frequently mentioned by both genders, though no significant gender difference was observed in this regard.
One limitation is that the study focused primarily on young adults, limiting the generalizability of the findings to older populations.
The study, “Recent Increases in Vegetarianism may be Limited to Women: A 15-Year Study of Young Adults at an American University”, was authored by John B. Nezlek and Catherine A. Forestell.