Behold Man the Non-Hunter! Do Western Ideas about Social Dominance over Humans and Animals Shape Meat Consumption?

Abstract

While current consensus among biological anthropologists has reconceptualized the notion of prehistoric man from "the hunter" to "the hunted," the former remains influential in Western constructions of maleness; specifically, the trope of men as rugged meat-eaters whose destiny is characterized by social and ecological dominance over other cultures and species. This research explored how traditional Western (binary) gender roles influence the association of social dominance in human-to-human and human-to-animal relationships to understand how they collectively shape meat consumption. Specifically, does gendered prejudice toward humans and animal exploitation also shape meat-eating attitudes? We hypothesized positive correlations among social dominance, speciesism, and meat-eating using the Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), Social Dominance Human-Animal Relations (SD-HARM), and Meat Consumption and Intention Scale (MCIS). Results showed strong positive correlations among social dominance and speciesism, with independent associations of each to meat-eating that were intensified by traditional constructions of maleness. Findings suggest that the human inclination toward hierarchical systems reflect a tendency toward environmental compartmentalization that also influence and regulate dietary preferences and behavior.