Are there male and female foods? Gender stereotypes and norms have been shown to impact the food choices and eating behaviors in men and women (Reinheld, 2014). A traditional view of eating patterns in the Western world often includes images of women eating salads and men eating steaks; eating outside of these culturally “normative” ways could potentially be seen as a conflict to an individuals gender identity (Reinheld, 2014). Additionally, these gender norms have also been related to a difference in the amount of focus women and men put on “healthy” eating, leading to an increased likelihood for women to overemphasize diet, resulting in a potential for unhealthy and obsessive dieting behaviors (Arnold &Doran, 2007). With these researched
…show more content…
However, similar results have also been found in school-aged children and adolescents under the age of 18 (Bish & Scheule, 2009). 1818 3rd – 12th grade students in the mid-west were surveyed through use anonymous questionnaires; Students were asked to rate their preference for 80 different foods (Bish & Schuele, 2009). Results indicated that across all ages boys were more likely than girls to report a preference towards beef, pork and barbeque foods while girls were more likely than boys to report a preference for fruits and vegetables (Bish & Schuele, 2009). One unique difference discovered in this study was that items such as chicken nuggets, pizza, and sweets showed no gender preference differences for elementary and middle school students; however, results indicated a significant gender difference in high-school aged respondents, with females reporting lower preferences for these foods than high-school aged males (Bish & Shuele, …show more content…
al., 2002; Chung & Hoerr, 2004;Wardle., et al.,2004; Driskell, Meckna, & Scales, 2006;& Bish & Shuele, 2009) but to better understand if gender norms influence the food choices men and women make, Gal and Wilke (2010) conducted a study with 163 U.S. undergraduate students requesting them to choose their preference of entree between 16 pairs of menu items. Each pair consisted of a gender normative “masculine” dish choice and “feminine” dish choice controlled through use of different ingredient lists and descriptions (Gal & Wilke, 2010). The results supported the hypothesis that ideas about gender norms influence how likely men or women are to choose a food; women were significantly more likely to the choose the “feminine” dishes as opposed to their male counterparts and men significantly more likely to choose the “masculine” dishes (Gal & Wilke, 2010). Based on the findings in their first study, Gal and Wilke (2010) decided to test the influence of an affirmation or threat to an individual’s gender identity would have on their food choice. 387 university students were asked to select from a menu of 6 different dessert pairs that were either described with feminine descriptions or masculine descriptions; however, before making their choices they were given either a perceived affirmation of their gender identity or threat to their gender identity
However, similar results have also been found in school-aged children and adolescents under the age of 18 (Bish & Scheule, 2009). 1818 3rd – 12th grade students in the mid-west were surveyed through use anonymous questionnaires; Students were asked to rate their preference for 80 different foods (Bish & Schuele, 2009). Results indicated that across all ages boys were more likely than girls to report a preference towards beef, pork and barbeque foods while girls were more likely than boys to report a preference for fruits and vegetables (Bish & Schuele, 2009). One unique difference discovered in this study was that items such as chicken nuggets, pizza, and sweets showed no gender preference differences for elementary and middle school students; however, results indicated a significant gender difference in high-school aged respondents, with females reporting lower preferences for these foods than high-school aged males (Bish & Shuele, …show more content…
al., 2002; Chung & Hoerr, 2004;Wardle., et al.,2004; Driskell, Meckna, & Scales, 2006;& Bish & Shuele, 2009) but to better understand if gender norms influence the food choices men and women make, Gal and Wilke (2010) conducted a study with 163 U.S. undergraduate students requesting them to choose their preference of entree between 16 pairs of menu items. Each pair consisted of a gender normative “masculine” dish choice and “feminine” dish choice controlled through use of different ingredient lists and descriptions (Gal & Wilke, 2010). The results supported the hypothesis that ideas about gender norms influence how likely men or women are to choose a food; women were significantly more likely to the choose the “feminine” dishes as opposed to their male counterparts and men significantly more likely to choose the “masculine” dishes (Gal & Wilke, 2010). Based on the findings in their first study, Gal and Wilke (2010) decided to test the influence of an affirmation or threat to an individual’s gender identity would have on their food choice. 387 university students were asked to select from a menu of 6 different dessert pairs that were either described with feminine descriptions or masculine descriptions; however, before making their choices they were given either a perceived affirmation of their gender identity or threat to their gender identity