Why Going Vegan is Essential for Your Feminism
By Shelley MacNey
*CW – Animal Abuse*
One of the fundamental principles underpinning feminist thought is the concept that the patriarchy continues to function by assigning value to human beings as if they exist in a pyramid, and worth is assigned based on how close a person is to the top. Though it’s hard for academics and activists to agree where we all sit in that hierarchy or how we dismantle it, there’s one thing that’s hard to disagree with: animals sit right at the bottom.
The term ‘speciesism’ was popularised in the 1970s and is loosely defined as discrimination against other species. Simply put, many believe that because we are human, we are entitled to take dominance over any other species. So, it’s acceptable to breed animals for our sustenance, for our entertainment, for clothing. We can do so as we please.
Feminism broadly recognises other ‘-isms’ as oppression in society and regularly allies with other social justice movements. Why not recognise Speciesism? Two facts should be acknowledged by non-vegan feminists: firstly, you aren’t able to eat meat without the death of another living being.
Secondly, that being suffered.
Many defend their choices in only buying locally sourced, organic or free-range, but in the UK over 70% of farmed animals are factory farmed, while in the US it’s 99%[1]. Conditions are a million lightyears away from the happy, friendly farms we imagine. As feminists, we actively stand against all oppression and violence, and none is more obvious than against the animals in our food system.
Contemplate for a moment how we treasure some animals as companions yet treat others as commodities. This is the same kind of thinking that enables not only sexism but racism, homophobia or just about any other kind of persecution or discrimination. As feminists, we cannot pick and choose our battles – we must oppose all injustice.
Feminists cannot ignore the way the meat, dairy and egg industries operate and profit through the exploitation of female reproductive systems. Consider dairy. Cows do not simply produce milk; cows produce milk because they are mothers. Between twelve to fifteen months old, female cows will be forcibly impregnated. Once mother gives birth to baby, it is common practice to forever separate them within hours[2]. If the baby is female, her fate will be the same as her mother’s. Males, on the other hand, are seen as ‘surplus’ and many are simply shot at birth. If allowed to live, it won’t be for long: most calves slaughtered for veal are around six months old.[3]
It goes without saying that this is incredibly distressing for both mother and baby. The mother, having just given birth, produces milk for around ten months (often with a myriad of health issues, such as mastitis). Once her milk production dries up, the cycle begins again until she is no longer ‘economically viable’. At that point, she herself will be slaughtered. If you need an example of a male-dominated industry[4] exploiting the female reproductive system for profit margins, here is perhaps the most brutal one you could imagine.
The egg industry fares no better. Hens do not technically menstruate, but physiologically speaking the process in which the egg is made is not unlike the human menstrual cycle, so those of us who have experienced this should display some sympathy that they should have to go through this once a day when naturally a hen would lay twelve eggs per year in the wild[5]. Hens will begin to become unprofitable as their egg production slows down just after a year old, and they are often sold for pet food. Once again, on hatching day, female chicks will enter the food system, and as male chicks are deemed unprofitable, they are either gassed or macerated[6].
Vegans are often questioned on the ethics of eating eggs, as the naïve may not know about the deplorable conditions hens endure or the male chicks massacred in their billions[7]. Feminists should remember that all eggs are a product of domination and injustice. And just as we have no dietary need for meat or dairy, the human body functions perfectly well without eggs[8].
Ethical obligations to our animal cousins aside, feminists cannot ignore the statistics when it comes to animal cruelty and violence against women. Studies have repeatedly confirmed the link. A large scale US study found that between 71% and 83% of women entering domestic violence shelters reported that their partners also abused or killed the family pet[9].
Consider the abattoir workers, whose day-to-day reality is killing and dismembering terrified animals. According to one comprehensive study[10] on the subject, a significant link exists between slaughterhouse employment and a rise in violent crime, rape in particular. These are not trivial statistics. And they highlight something both veterinarians and social workers are trained to spot[11]: violence against animals leads to violence against women.
If you need the human connection, this is it. The people who work in slaughterhouses are directly in charge of the killing of the billions of animals society eats each year[12]. If we took those animals off our plates, there would be no need for the killing, no need for the trauma, violence and crime that goes with it. Every day you purchase meat, you pay for a slaughterhouse to stay open. It’s a choice.
Living up to feminist values has never been just talking the talk. We’ve always had to speak out against things that actively contradict what we believe. So for the reasons outlined in this piece and many more (I’ve not even touched on climate concerns, which disproportionally affect women[13], the language parallels that strip both women and animals of their identity, seeing them as something to be consumed, or the toxic masculinity associated with meat-eating), I fail to see any ethical or logical reason to continue funding an industry in which profit margins depend on the suffering and death of innocent sentient beings, not to mention one that relies so heavily upon the exploitation of the female reproductive system.
The logic of domination that keeps women, people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community, those with disabilities and any other marginalised people from thriving is the exact same logic that leads us to decide one animal deserves a lifetime of love and care, whilst another deserves torture and pain. For feminists, is that not the very crux of the matter at hand?
This isn’t about food. It’s about principles.
Sources:
[1] The myth of UK farming / 99% Of US Farmed Animals Live On Factory Farms, Study Says
[2] About dairy cows | Compassion in World Farming
[3] What Is Veal? The Dark Truth About Where Veal Comes From
[4] DEFRA’s Farm Structure Survey 2013
Women in Scottish farming and the agriculture sector
The Role of Women in Agriculture: FAO.org.
[5] About egg laying hens | Compassion in World Farming
[6] What is chick maceration? | RSPCA Assured
[7] What happens to male chicks in the egg industry?
[9] Animal cruelty and human violence FAQ | The Humane Society
[10] Slaughterhouses and Increased Crime Rates Dr. Amy Fitzgerald: this interview
[11] Vets in Scotland train to spot domestic abuse victims / Animal abuse & the link to family violence – advice for practitioners
[12] This is how many animals we eat each year | World Economic Forum
[13] Understanding Why Climate Change Impacts Women More Than Men