demographics of the animal rights movement
The start of the Animal Rights movement
The animal rights movement has grown into a global movement that was first created in the U.S. by members wanting the protection of animals from cruelty in testing, farming, and consumption. There have been multiple studies and surveys done that point to a stereotype in the demographics of the Animal Rights movement. A number of the studies that were conducted around the 1990's have shown that a wide majority of the members in the movement are female, white, middle-class, and have an education higher than a high school degree (Wrenn, 2016). Being white and a member of the movement was observed to be a socioeconomic issue because white, well-educated woman had larger incomes had greater access/ability to participate to the Animal Rights movement (Guither, 1998). The Animal Rights movement can be looked at as a "post-citizenship" movement to some because it promotes adapting alternative lifestyle choices and promoting rights other than the person's fundamental ones. Many activists within the movement have been portrayed as thin and represented in the media the Animal Rights movement displays to the public, creating an image of a successful, attractive woman. Women however are still make up the majority of the movement, with 68-80 percent female (Gaarder, 2011). Despite having a greater number of women, leadership roles within the Animal Rights movement have generally been given to men, even though they have less representation within the group (Gaarder, 2011). Recently women activists have been able to gain recognition of being leaders for the movement, but for the beginning of the movement, women were not always the face of it despite their large numbers in membership.
Current demographics of the Animal Rights movement
Today, researchers have been finding a shift in who represents and are members of the movement. Going beyond the studies done that show white, well-educated individuals to be the leaders of the group, recent findings suggest that there is a spread of support across diverse populations (Jerolmack, 2003). Recent surveys have proved socioeconomic factors such as income, do not contribute to participation. Now, a greater majority of the movement participants are young, less-educated, non-black minorities (Jerolmack, 2003). The majority are still white women, but there has been an increase in involvement and participation from diverse communities and backgrounds. Education levels have also changed. Now, there are more members with high school degrees or less rather than highly educated individuals with masters, and PhDs (Jerolmack, 2003). This opens up the movement to members who are still young that want to participate alongside members who have been involved for decades. Having youth as well as the middle, and older aged participants allow the movement to connect with a larger audience, giving it more depth and breadth that aid in creating and facilitating collective action.
Sociological discussion on the change in demographics
The shift in demographics, and moving away from only looking at the members as white, highly educated individual shows an opening in the movement for greater participation as well as sustaining existing members. Having greater acceptance within the movement helps network mobilization and allow for greater change to occur because there is less focus on who is involved in the movement and more on what the message is. By having diversity within the movement, the members are able to target more areas to recruit members. Younger members are able to participate through social media outlets and have become more aware through new media documentaries that allow youth to understand animal rights without a higher education. One demographic that has stayed consistent has been the involvement of women, and their role as being the "driving force" behind the movement (Gaarder, 2011). Women today are able to have more leading activist roles in the movement, possibly due to the rise of women in leadership through the women's movement that promotes equality of men and women. By having women make up the majority and continue to today, shows they have been able to sustain existing member by paying attention to the group's identity. This long-term thinking has enabled the movement to persist and become better known across the U.S. and globe. However, the frame of the movement has been centered around white members and leaders, which may change the way that people view the movement and their willingness to join. Diversity opens opportunites for the movement, and in the recent time period, there has been a shift towards achieving a broader range of movement members.