I have a Master of Science in Sociology from the University of Aberdeen. My primary focus is veganism and social norms, which is why I dedicated a pilot study to exploring what it means to be a vegan in the 2020s. This project was based on the lingering stigmatisation that comes with being a vegan, but also on recent societal changes such as a societal push towards postmodernist values, the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of social media in shaping our views on veganism. Then, I focused my dissertation on the influence of gender norms and bias in the vegan lifestyle, be it in the way people look at veganism when considering the lifestyle, but also as part of vegans’ daily life. Both of these research projects were conducted using qualitative in-depth interviews with vegan volunteers from all over Scotland. The dissertation also included a focus group with vegan women, discussing their experience of gender bias. The aim of these research projects is to raise awareness around the impact of social norms when looking at veganism, but also when choosing the lifestyle.
