Why are more women vegetarian than men?

[StormMistress]

So I’m a vegetarian (though I eat fish) so if there’s a term for that I’m that lol. But I’m curious why it seems more women are vegetarian compared to men. Is it a biological thing?

[Cherry234]

You're a pescatarian. I'm the same. I'm going to take an educated guess here and say that women tend to feel more guilty eating meat than men. Some women may even lie about the amount of meat they eat rather than men. Women may be more concerned about animals and animal rights so that's why there are more women who are vegetarian. I'm not trying to make generalizations about either gender but I'm saying this to answer your question. There are also men who are concerned about animals and animal rights.

[artstatues]

One reason I believe is that, at least in Western culture. We still have a stereotype that men need to fit a classic definition of "manly". Gen Z is much more progressive and breaking these traditional gender defined roles. Part of this is that a man doesn't show emotion and eats a lot of meat. It’s seen as weak and feminine to avoid meat, particularly for compassionate reasons. In a culture where strength and masculinity are prized over vulnerability and femininity, it’s not surprising that men would want to avoid things that make them appear weak.

Second, I think that women have an easier time relating to the animals and feeling compassion for them because of our deplorable cultural habit of objectifying women. I know exactly what it feels like to be seen as an object with no value other than my body. It feels gross, dehumanizing. So it’s not hard to relate to the plight of the animals who are viewed as objects with no value other than their bodies.

[Levin]

You're a pescetarian, like me.

I can't stomach much animal foods any more and I usually find plant based food far tastier.

Chinese philosophy gives some insight.

Male female archetypes. ie
Yang/yin
Ape/crane and Tiger/crane from kung fu.

Yang foods such as meat and salt make the body more contracted. Where as yin foods have an opposite affect on the body. The physiology is supposed to be reflective of the psychology, and vise versa. Women tend to be more yielding and open. Men tend to be more narrowly focused and black and white. This may stem in part from the historical role that men and women used to play. Men would tend to do intensive labour. Women would do more household/social/nurturing type stuff.

[MysticDevice]

I'm not really sure why women are more prone to being vegetarian. I think I've met equal numbers of male and female vegetablists. Also, fish is meat. Just saying.

I never understood vegetarians. I'm not above killing animals but I also don't think they have suffer at all.

Lets say you shoot a deer, its more or less instant and the deer doesn't know what hit it. (I don't actually hunt this is just an example)

But then lets say you don't shoot the deer and instead it gets eaten alive by wolves or another wild predator. Pain. Lots of pain.

Animals kill other animals every day. Thats nature. So eating a cheeseburger isn't really all that different.

[StormMistress]

Animals don’t suffer. Tell that to the animals at meat grinding industry.

[MysticDevice]

I said "I don't think they HAVE to." Not that they don't. But tell me the gazelle doesn't suffer while it's getting mauled by a Lion.

[Scarlett3156]

mystic, the lions don’t have any other choice but to eat the gazelle because they are on a survival situation. Plus they’re anatomy is one of a strict carnivore, ours isn’t. Plus the gazelle was free in the wild enjoying its life before being eaten by the lion. The animals you eat were never free and happy because they have always been confined in tight places, tortured multiple times, they had live in their body waste, and just abused. Plus humans are not in a survival situation anymore, most of us can go vegan.

[MysticDevice]

The lion's choice doesn't alter the fact that the gazelle suffered. To be frank here, we all should be thanking our lucky stars that we live in a society where food is so plentiful that we even have the option to be picky.
Meanwhile in rural Uganda, North Korea, or Syria there are people hungry enough to crawl over burning coal and shards of broken glass to get at the ham sandwich that vegetarians and other animals' rights groups are too virtuous to eat.
Animals don't need to and shouldn't suffer. In that I agree. I still, however, will continue to eat them. As most meat in my area is locally sourced and I have seen the farms first-hand. The animals are not being tortured, they are not being confined in tight spaces, and they are not being abused.

[SlightlyEccentric]

I don't understand how anyone can go with a consistent vegetarian diet. Meat has vital proteins in it that your body needs to properly function.

There was this video I saw on youtube where Gordon Ramsey met up with a zookeeper who had been strictly vegetarian but was willing to give meat a second chance. Ramsey had noted that she, inspite of her slim stature, was very unhealthy and a little malnourished. Ramsey believed it was because of her strict vegetarian diet that she got that way.

He cooked a steak for her and she actually loved the taste, so much so she decided to put meat back on her diet as a semi-regular meal. She is a lot healthier now because she started eating meat again.

[Levin]

This is a bit of a myth.

The average person is a meat eater. And the average person has extremely poor health. There's some pretty good evidence that heart disease and cancer is largely caused by excessive consumption of animal protein.

There is nothing innately healthy of a vegetarian diet of itself. Especially since they usually consume large amounts of dairy, which again, is bad for your health. Plus they eat lots of processed junk. The devil is in the detail. I personally think a near vegan diet based on whole foods would help a lot of people with their health. The average person is extremely flabby too, so people need to get that in order. No one should have a protruding belly at any age.

[Diodoro]

Then you're Pescatarian (Vegetarian + Fish. Some with Eggs and Dairy)

And I'd say because women on average are more empathetic than men. You're more likely to make a decision that may or may not be in your best interests, purely because you feel bad for a person/animal/situation.

While men do the same at times it's far less. Estrogen is the Empathy hormone. Testosterone is the achievement hormone. Too much T you become an asshole. Too much E you become a pushover

[RawIronhide]

I may be able to explain. I believe men generally having more muscle mass consume more calories on adverage especially if we have labor intensive jobs. Therefore is harder for us to replenish our energy supply on a vegetarian diet because it not as dence in protein and ameno enzymes in meet. So naturally we gravitate to dence protein to fill our energy reserves. I can actually feel the difference in my body.

[NathanDavis]

I have no idea about all others... but I am 200 pounds and I know very well that I just cannot function without a well and proper balanced diet and more importantly than that... it does not make me happy, so I just don't restrict my true nature like that

[Adam1978]

Because they are emotional and not logical. If we didn't eat cows and drink milk, they would soon be on the endangered species everywhere except india. Because no one would raise any, they are not pets and there is no wild cows left. So is having cows and more food variations or no cows and more vegetables.

[Nagahime]

Wouldn't that make you a pescatarian if the only type of meat you consume is fish? Vegetarians do not eat meat at all.

[StormMistress]

That’s the word I was thinking of Thankyou!

[Nagahime]

No problem. :)

[jshm2]

So... you are a flexitarian, not a vegetarian. Its like saying you are a virgin. But only do anal sex.

Anyway, there is no solid proof most women are vegetarian. If any the opposite should be true as the need meat protein to biologically function more than men. (No pun intended)

[humanearth]

Here is a good reason not to be a vegetarian

https://sunwarrior.com/blogs/health-hub/proteins-effect-brain-function-memory-health

[SnakeBoop]

meh, sort of like how more women get roped into scams such as MLM's and pyramid schemes.
You're pescatarian if you eat fish fyi

[MrNameless]

1. I think more women care about their health than men
2. Religious reasons. Women take religion more seriously then men, including dietary restrictions from religion
3. More compassionate if its animal cruelty related

[Exterminatore]

Because women have smaller brains and are more stupid then men. I saw it on a documentary called Borat.

[Wester1967]

Smarter. I've been veg head for 25+ years. Meat heads my age are all but ready for the grave. While I am out here dating women 25 years younger than me. Figure it out.

[SomeGuyCalledTom]

My guess is that there's about as many male vegetarians as female vegetarians, but women are more likely to 'publicise' their eating patterns, whereas men keep it to themselves more.

[Godsvengeance]

That's pescatarian. I think the reason is that the only reason to be vegetarian is an empathetic approach to animals and since females generally are more empathetic then they are more likely to go that route.

[uwu_princess]

You are not a vegetarian. You are a semi vegetarian (coz of fish) :)

[SlightlyEccentric]

Yeah well a strictly vegetarian diet isn't good for your body

[jahaims]

Maybe because the idea behind being a vegetarian for many is it is less cruel to animals and females naturally on average are more sympathetic and compassionate.

[Nazgol]

Could be. They're more moved & affected by animal suffering & killing. Also just the thought of eating animal meat may gross them out. Wanting to live a healthy lifestyle is another reason

[SpaceGalaxy]

Most men love meat, generally speaking, whether it is Cow, Pig, Lamb, ETC. or Women. We love to eat the female ass, tits, legs, inner thighs, lips, face, etc. when women mostly love to eat our penis and nothing else (generally speaking)

[Jltakk]

They are more concerned with exterior factors than men generally. Thats why they focus more on special diets than men generally. (of course there's nuance involved, but I'm only keeping this at a barebones level)

[Anonymous]

Men were always hunters in the past. Probably something to do with how we evolved.