Why men eat more meat — and why the gap grows in richer countries

Men eat more meat than women — and the gap widens as countries become wealthier, a team from the University of Zurich found. The difference in meat consumption also tends to be larger in countries with higher gender equality. For example, where gender equality is relatively high in the United Kingdom, British men eat noticeably more meat than British women.

How the Study Was Conducted

The team looked at how men and women reported their meat-eating habits across countries with different levels of social and economic development. They measured development using life expectancy, educational attainment, gross national income, and gender equality.

In total, the researchers analyzed responses from 20,802 people in 23 countries across North and South America, Europe, and Asia. All participants reported their gender and how often they ate meat.

The team suggests that higher gender equality and greater national development give women more freedom to opt out of meat consumption. By contrast, men tend to face fewer social barriers to buying and eating meat, the Independent reported.

The results showed that where people have more choices because of better finances and looser gender norms, men’s and women’s eating habits diverge more.

Professor Christopher Hopwood, the lead author of the study, said the team’s conclusion was that differences in meat consumption are greater in countries with higher levels of economic and human development and gender equality.

Key Findings

Overall, the study found that, with the exception of China, India, and Indonesia, men generally eat meat more frequently than women.

The team also found larger gaps in countries with high gender equality and socio-economic development. The biggest disparities appeared in Germany, Argentina, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

The data showed that people in more developed countries—both men and women—tend to eat meat more often than people in less developed nations.

Thailand, China, the United States, and Spain were among the countries with the highest overall meat consumption.

The study’s findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports.