Historically, women have been at the center of the animal rights movement and continue to play an important role in it. Since the 19th century, most animal rights organizations and movements have been founded by women whose feminist values were linked to animal welfare and vegan causes. The fight for women’s rights also often went hand in hand with the fight for animal rights for many activists in the suffrage movement, including Lady Constance Lytton, Charlotte Despard, Margaret Cousins, Anne Cobden-Sanderson and Leonora Cohen, to name just a few. The animal rights movement still exists today consisting predominantly of womenand various studies show that the same is true vegan and vegetarian population around the world.
Why women dominate the vegan movement
There are several important reasons why the fight for animal rights is fundamentally linked to the feminist movement. As an American writer and activist Notes by Aph Ko“The objectification and exploitation of animal lives and bodies should be closely examined by feminists because feminism is about fighting the way in which patriarchy disregards the interests and subjectivities of certain living beings in favor of those arbitrarily labeled as “superior” sentient beings.”
One of the core principles of feminist thought is the understanding that patriarchy works by viewing beings through a hierarchy in which a person’s worth depends on how close they are to the top. And one thing is certain: animals are at the bottom of our pyramid.
Most meat, egg and dairy industries operate and profit by exploiting the female reproductive system. Looking at dairy farming alone, milk production in animals is not considered a natural function of producing offspring, and their bodies are often subjected to extreme violence to obtain more milk.
Between the ages of twelve and fifteen months, female cows are forcibly impregnated. Once the cow has given birth to the calf, it is common practice to do this Separate them within a few hoursan incredibly stressful process for the cow and her calf. If the calf is female, it faces the same fate as its mother. Male calves are both shot at birth or slaughtered for meat months later. The mother who has just given birth produces milk for about ten months (often with one countless painful health problems). Once milk production ends, the cycle of forced impregnation and milk extraction begins again until it is no longer “economical.” At this point she herself is slaughtered for meat.
The dairy industry is one of the most brutal examples of a male-dominated industry that exploits the female reproductive system for profit. Therefore, the systemic exploitation of female bodies in animal agriculture reflects patriarchal structures in human society and explains why veganism resonates with women for several ethical and political reasons and underscores why women do this disproportionately attracted to the movement.
Another reason for this gender asymmetry is the cultural perception that views meat eating as a male trait. Traditionally, male ideas of physical strength and athletic performance are socially associated with the consumption of animals and the fact that men follow a vegan diet report be perceived as weak and emasculated.
Studies Studies in social psychology and sociology suggest that meat consumption has long been associated with ideas of power, dominance and control, and plant-based diets are often coded as feminine, nurturing and health-conscious. Interventions to reduce meat consumption have rarely identified the influence of gender norms on diet.
Veganism in India
While many ideas about veganism have emerged from Western contexts, any discussion about animal rights and veganism in India requires much more nuance. Typically, the vegan movement is associated with left-wing politics that arise from a deep concern for the environment, animals and ultimately people themselves. But in India, food politics takes on a strangely right-wing dimension: meat-eating is often confronted with upper-caste ideas about purity and pollution, expressed in disgust, moral judgment and public shaming.
In India, for example 28 percent of the population are vegetarians, mostly from birth, because they were born into upper-caste families that are traditionally vegetarian. The idea of eating meat is often popularly associated with marginalized castes, and dietary habits become emblematic of caste identity. For many, a vegetarian diet signifies their religious and cultural “superiority,” and the “immorality” of meat-eating is weaponized against people from marginalized castes and used as a sign of “impurity.”
However, various meat-eating practices remain central to cultural traditions and identity for many communities in India, highlighting that dietary choices cannot be understood as purely ethical or individual, but as a complex phenomenon deeply intertwined with history, culture and society.
While choosing to go vegan isn’t necessarily a privilege, having the power to make dietary choices is. Access to a variety of plant-based foods, the financial means to afford specialty products, and social acceptance influence the ability to be vegan. In India, where dietary practices are closely linked to caste, class and regional traditions, the decision to go vegan often reflects a level of socioeconomic privilege that is not widely available.
At the same time, the benefits of the vegan movement cannot and should not be ignored. Contemporary vegan activism in India is increasingly shaped by global ethical frameworks around animal welfare and environmental sustainability. International advocacy campaigns have popularized plant-based lifestyles, but these movements often focus on urban, “upper” caste and “upper class” perspectives and may inadvertently overlook the realities of marginalized communities. Recognizing these intersections is critical to creating inclusive dialogues about veganism that respect local traditions, economic constraints, and the diverse social landscapes that shape food practices across the country, without ignoring the vegan movement’s fight for a better world for all, including animals.
Towards an inclusive and ethical vegan practice
Veganism, as viewed through the lens of feminism, goes beyond individual dietary habits and functions as a vehicle for ethical and political activism that challenges diverse forms of oppression. The high number of women in the movement testifies to both their pursuit of harm reduction and their resistance to patriarchal ideologies that glorify power over other human and non-human animals. However, in India, a vegan lifestyle is further complicated by overarching variables such as caste, class, regional cultures and economic access, which determine who has the privilege to make dietary choices that are free from social stigma.
A socially just and inclusive vision of veganism must take such structural inequalities into account. The global discourse on animal rights and environmental sustainability must be understood in the local cultural context. This includes recognizing the cultural significance of meat consumption for multiple communities, sensitivity to caste-based dietary practices, and consideration of socioeconomic constraints that limit access to plant-based alternatives.
At the same time, it is crucial to acknowledge the incredibly cruel and exploitative nature of the meat industry. Motherhood in livestock farming is often associated with deep physical and emotional suffering for animals, highlighting the need for strict policies to regulate meat and milk production and prevent inhumane practices.
By embedding veganism within the broader social and cultural context of India, it is possible to promote practices that are ethically engaged, socially conscious and capable of challenging human and non-human hierarchies.
Abirami holds a Masters in Development Studies from IIT Madras and is currently working in the field of public policy, driven by the pursuit of a more inclusive and equitable world. She views her work as a continuous process of learning and unlearning, based on the belief that meaningful change begins with asking the right questions.