If you see veganism and feminism as two separate issues, it’s time to challenge your thinking. Intersectionality is the idea that different systems of discrimination and disadvantage overlap, so you can’t fight one without fighting the other. Intersectionality is often spoken about in terms of race and feminism, where white feminists historically ignored the problems facing black and brown women.
Intersectionality is the belief that all forms of discrimination are interlinked, and we must fight on both fronts. If we are fighting oppression against humans, we should also look at animal suffering. Why? Because we can. It is an easy change to make as an individual to prevent suffering in your name.
Key Takeaways
The Meat & Dairy Industries Exploit Mothers
The meat and dairy industries rely on mothers to keep producing babies. While all animals suffer in these industries, these mothers suffer the longest. While a pig bred for bacon will live six miserable months before being slaughtered, its mother will be forced to endure a life of breeding until she is no longer able to. A male dairy calf might be killed within days of being born, but his mother will endure a lifetime of being impregnated and having her babies ripped away from her until she can no longer produce milk.
Female animals are suffering for longer because of their ability to produce young. These animals suffer the way they do because of their reproductive systems, which is wrong. If you dismiss the suffering of farmed animals, ask yourself why.
If you believe cats and dogs love their young and have feelings, then you should know the only difference between farmed animals is how we treat them. Pigs are intelligent animals who can learn to play computer games (read the study here). Cows cry out for and try to chase after their stolen young, only to be forced to endure the cycle over and over again.
All Animals Deserve Freedom
It’s easy to argue that animals should come last on the list of feminist issues. We still have girls unable to attend school, sexual violence used as weapons in war, and alarming levels of violence against women and girls. So, why should we care about animals? Simply because we can.
There are many issues facing women and girls, and we should absolutely fight against them all. Some require government change, and we must tirelessly campaign for these things. Some require societal change; we must speak up for these issues wherever possible. And some we can personally change today.
Veganism is one of the easy changes you can make today to create a better world. Animals are being kept in cruel and inhumane conditions so that you can eat meat and dairy. Mothers are being impregnated and then having their babies taken away from them so you can have milk in your coffee. If you could see and hear the mothers as their babies are taken away, you wouldn’t want any part in it. Make the switch to a more compassionate lifestyle today.
Climate Change Disproportionately Affects Women
Switching to a plant-based diet is an easy step you can take to protect the planet. A vegan diet uses less energy and water and causes much less environmental destruction than a typical Western diet. Eighty percent of the world’s soya is used to feed animals for meat and dairy production. Much of this soya is grown in the Amazon rainforest, causing deforestation and habitat loss.
Climate experts have repeatedly stated that a plant-based diet is best for the planet and that avoiding meat and dairy is crucial in the fight against the climate crisis. We know that the climate crisis will disproportionately affect women around the world. Climate change is the biggest issue facing the world’s women now and in the future, and one way you can fight it is by switching to a plant-based diet today.
Feminists Can See Past ‘Normal’
As a feminist, you already have the skills to question the way things are and see past what other people accept as normal. You know it’s wrong when fathers tell their sons not to cry. You challenge the objectification and sexualization of female bodies. You don’t want incompetent men promoted above more competent women in the workplace. You believe a better world is possible.
Eating animals is so normalized that many people have never stopped to consider where their food comes from. People buy neatly packaged meat products from supermarkets and probably don’t even recognize that these products were once living, breathing animals. Veganism is about pulling back that veil and exposing the truth behind our food. And, like with feminism, once you start to see the hypocrisy, you can’t unsee it.
As a feminist, you refuse to accept something because it is ‘normal’ or has ‘always been like that.’ You actively strive for a better world. Now, apply that same logic to the food you eat and join the vegan revolution.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This subject is likely to be controversial, especially for feminists who don’t want to change the way they eat. I’m not saying you’re not a feminist if you consume animal products; I’m simply inviting you to challenge your beliefs on the meat and dairy industries.
Unfortunately, the world has so many problems that if we exist in a single-issue bubble, we’ll never make real change. We must look for oppression, discrimination, and suffering and challenge every bit we find. If you are against animal suffering, then it’s time to make a stand against the meat and dairy industries. If you want to protect women worldwide from the threat of climate change, switch to a greener diet today.
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