Exploitation of Female Bodies in the Dairy Industry

Exploitation of Female Bodies in the Dairy Industry

When people think about sexism, most of us think only about human women. The dairy industry teaches us a different story, a story about exploitation of female bodies that is very similar to how patriarchy treats women. The dairy system depends on forcing female cows into reproductive cycles and stealing what nature intended for their babies. Female cows produce milk only because they are pregnant or just had babies. In nature, a mother produces milk to feed her baby. But on dairy farms, workers forcibly inseminate cows again and again using tools and machines, a process the industry has been criticized for, even being called a “rape rack” by activists. After each birth, the baby calf is taken away within hours so humans can use the mother’s milk instead. This is more than cruelty, it’s the commodification of a female reproductive system.

The cow’s body is no longer seen as a living being but as a “milk machine” exploited for profit until she can no longer produce enough milk. Once her body is too worn out, she is slaughtered. As someone who wants true equality for all females, I see this as connected to feminist struggles. In the dairy industry, we take away the right of a mother to keep her milk for her child, just like how patriarchy tries to limit women’s autonomy over their own bodies and reproductive choices. This exploitation is not a coincidence, it’s rooted in the same systems that value female bodies only for what they produce for others, not for their own lives. When we celebrate feminism, we must include solidarity with all females, not just humans.

The dairy industry treats cows like objects, not living beings with emotional and physical needs. The calves cry for their mothers and the mothers call out for their babies after being separated. This is painfully similar to the emotional and physical damages caused by the exploitation of human women. Here some statistics that should worry us:

• There are hundreds of millions of dairy cows worldwide, estimates show around 265-270 million dairy cows producing milk around the world for human consumption.

• Milk production per cow has increased dramatically. Intensive farming systems have pushed cows to produce far more milk than they would naturally for their calves, with some sources noting averages much higher than natural levels.

• Dairy cows are repeatedly impregnated to keep producing milk. In industrial systems, cows are typically artificially inseminated soon after giving birth so they produce milk for humans rather than for their own calves.

Choose alternatives to dairy like almond milk and oat milk. But this is not just about food choices. It’s about challenging a system that profits from exploitation and recognizing that being feminist sometimes means questioning everyday products and industries that support body centered oppression. The fight for equality and justice must extend to all females. ♀