Meat Masculinity and Health for the Typical Aussie Bloke: ASocial Constructivist Analysis of Class Gender and Consumption

摘要

Food choice is complex and influenced by a range of social, environmental,structural, and individual factors. Poor diet is one of the major contributorsto the burden of disease, in particular for men who habitually have lowerintakes of fruits and vegetables and higher intakes of meat. Food choice hasbeen linked to the expression of masculine identities. This research used aBourdieusian framework to explore the influential drivers of young Australianmen’s eating habits based on occupational groupings. Twenty men aged 19–30 yearsparticipated in in-depth semistructured interviews. Analysis used a groundedtheory, social constructivist approach and identified five themes: performativemasculinities and meat; meat cuts across social class; the influence ofmasculine autonomy on dietary choice; women protecting Australian men’s health;and the role of environmental and structural barriers. These results indicatedthat habitus remains a useful conceptual framework to explain the results, andcultural capital is reinforced as a phenomenon. Occupation and gender appear tono longer be primary drivers of food choice in this group of men. Rather thereis a shift toward an understanding of multiple masculinities and the developmentof microcultures with interactions between structure and agency. Meat stillfeatures in the food world of Australian men, but there are shifts todeprioritize its importance. There needs to be a more nuanced understanding ofthe importance of autonomy and control as well as the role of women in relationto men’s dietary intakes and how this can be harnessed for positive dietarychange.