(Not So) Hidden Barriers to a Vegan-Inclusive Norm: The Struggle Against Speciesism for Compassionate Children Who Could Change the World

In twenty-first-century Scotland, it should be the responsibility of institutions and their representatives to provide as fully inclusive a society as possible, yet many continue to experience prejudice and discrimination despite ongoing systemic efforts to bring diversity and inclusion to the fore. The term ‘hidden barriers’ is widely used in sociological discussions of education or employment, referring to unseen limitations placed on opportunity for certain groups. Such obstacles are often unnoticed (or unaccepted) by those easily excelling in a stratified society. Vegan children in Scotland and elsewhere can lack equitable treatment to peers within various social systems, and environments where animal use is normal can be distressing for them. Today’s children are tomorrow’s consumers, and only once we understand how they are socialized into sustained speciesism - that is, believing non-human species to be less worthy than humans are - can we challenge this and undertake improvements that will benefit everyone. Promoting and practicing fully inclusive, unbiased, and ethical praxis across the life course requires levelling the playing field. This chapter briefly outlines some of the structural inequalities that directly affect vegan children, indirectly affect the normalization of compassion, and stall any subsequent move to a world free from harm.