Employers May View Vegan Men as Less Competent, Study Finds

A study found that men who said they follow a vegan diet when applying for a job were seen as less manly, and as a result, they were less likely to be chosen for the position. This was especially noticeable for jobs that were typically thought of as "manly," like being a financial analyst.

However, diet preferences of women "did not influence" their job prospects, according to the researchers from the University of Warsaw.

Interest in a plant-based diet has gained much prominence in recent years, with some studies also suggesting its benefits to lower the risk of heart attack or type 2 diabetes. But the researchers said employers seem to erroneously associate veganism in men with incompetence.

Meat consumption is traditionally associated with masculinity, and masculinity, in turn, is often viewed as a measure of competence, the report said. "Vegan men can be seen as less masculine, so with less stereotypical masculine traits," the researchers said.

The team included about 838 study participants and randomly assigned them to one of eight versions of a fictitious resume of men and women who were supposedly applying for jobs. In the hobby section, either "vegetable cooking" or "cooking" was added to differentiate between vegan and non-vegans (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Vegan stereotypes and person perception in a job application situation - differences depending on the type of job and the gender of the candidate

Go to source).

Meat Eaters Outperform Vegan Men in Financial Analyst Roles

Half of all resumes were fictitious applications for a job as a psychologist - "in line with the stereotype of a female profession," scientists said - and the other half for a position of financial analyst, "a stereotypically male profession".

In the Journal of Social Psychology, researchers said vegan men were considered less capable than same-sex carnivores. Vegan men who applied for the position of financial analyst scored an average of 4.77 and 4.26 for competence and warmth, respectively. Meat eaters, on the other hand, achieved results of 4.92 and 5.3.

Advertisement

Male vegans who submitted resumes for a psychologist role, meanwhile, reported 4.66 and 4.92 for ability and warmth. Carnivores averaged 4.1 and 4.43, respectively.

"Vegans who applied for a stereotypically female position - psychologist - were generally perceived as warmer than vegans who applied for a stereotypically male position - financial analyst," the team said.

Advertisement

Studies have previously shown that men tend to eat more meat than women, despite the fact that both sexes need the same amount nutritionally.

Reference:

1. Vegan stereotypes and person perception in a job application situation – differences depending on the type of job and the gender of the candidate - (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00224545.2022.2136564)

Source-IANS