Alcohol Consumption, Gender Identities and Women’s Changing Social Positions

Abstract

Young adults in Western countries are drinking more alcohol than ever before, particularly young women. This study aimed to explore how women are (re)defining their gender identities in relation to men through consumption of alcohol. Eight friendship discussion groups were conducted in Auckland, New Zealand, with 16 women and 16 men aged 20-29 years. Participants viewed binge drinking as a routine, normal part of everyday life. Women's drinking was linked to pleasure and fun, with positive descriptions of female participants who were frequently intoxicated. However, other drunk women were positioned as deviant and breaking traditional codes of femininity. Findings are discussed in terms of women's changing social positions and the accomplishment of gender identities through local communities of practice.

The role of feminine and masculine norms in college women’s alcohol use.

“…Instead, women may eschew traditional, restrictive norms and strive to act in more stereotypically masculine ways, as masculinity is associated with empowerment. Women are also increasingly entering social domains that have traditionally been male-dominated spaces, such as employment and public drinking areas, and may thus be acting in more masculine ways (Lyons & Willott, 2008). Thus, it is important to understand not only how feminine norms influence women's behaviors, but also how masculine norms may influence them as well.…”

“…Several scholars note that over the past thirty years, women have had more access to traditionally male-dominated public domains, and thus have also had the opportunity to engage in stereotypically masculine activities, such as public drinking (Keyes et al, 2008;Lyons & Willott, 2008;Wilsnack et al, 2000). Thus, as women have moved away from constrictive notions of femininity, drinking has become linked with empowerment, pleasure seeking, and independence (Hutton, 2004;Lyons & Willott, 2008). Additionally, because heavy drinking is linked to notions of masculinity, evidence suggests that young women who strive to be more masculine may engage in heavier drinking (Young et al, 2005).This increase in young women's alcohol use presents a significant public health concern given that heavy drinking more severely affects women than it does men, due to biological differences that make intoxication quicker for women.…”

Cricket, drinking and exclusion of British Pakistani Muslims?

“…In Western countries, where alcohol is permissible by law and tradition, and a part of popular culture, the consumption of alcohol plays a crucial role in the social construction of gender (Lyons and Willott, 2008;Thurnell-Read, 2011). Historically, drinking in bars was viewed as acceptable for men and unacceptable for 'decent' women.…”

Factors associated with alcohol intake and alcohol abuse among women in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

“…Meanwhile, women that drink have been negatively stigmatized by society 28 . With current changes in society, women are redefining their gender identities in relation to men, and the increase in alcohol consumption may reflect changes in social positions 29 . A new pattern of women's activity was established after World War II, and beginning in the 1970s, women entered the labor market more intensively, occupying professions that were previously exclusive to the male population 30 and adopting practices such as smoking that had been considered part of the male world 31 .…”