21 May 2008, Written by Brigid J. Barry in society

Broads Don’t Like Booze?

My boyfriend and I come up to the bar.  I order a pint of Guinness.  He orders a gin and tonic.  When the bartender returns with the drinks, she puts the gin in front of me and the Guinness in front of him.  Then she tells him the total.

Is there a difference between the way men and women drink?  Do women drink more cocktails while men drink more beer?  Advertisements would certainly have us believe that not only is drinking primarily a man’s habit, but that only men enjoy the taste of beer and alcohol while women, when they drink, prefer fruity wine coolers and cocktails.

There are some biological factors at play here.  Women tend to be smaller and have bodies made up of more fat than men, which causes them to more easily become drunk.  A woman and a man of the same weight may drink the same amount but have different blood alcohol levels.  However, I think cultural influences are at least as much at play in any differences between the drinking habits of men and women.

Being able to drink copiously and easily drink hard alcohol are perceived as "tough," and of course toughness is a prime aspect of manliness.  A classic arbiter of social norms of masculinity, the western film, shows men drinking whiskey as though it were water and in place of water.  A young boy’s masculinity may be challenged by his peers if he cannot hold down beer chugged from a beer bong.

Advertisers tap into this psychology by showing alcohol as a product mainly consumed by men.  Beer commercials typically use women as glorified waitresses, bringing men beer while wearing bikinis.  Print ads for whiskeys such as Dewar’s and Maker’s Mark are aimed at men–they contain advice for men and mostly depict men drinking.  Meanwhile advertisements for such wine coolers and liqueurs as Alize, Bailey’s, and Disaronno show either just women or women and men.

These factors combine to explain why a man might start earlier and drink more heavily than a woman.  More experience with alcohol generally leads to a higher tolerance for both the taste and the effects of alcohol.  So it is certainly plausible that men might continue to drink more heavily and drink harder beverages than women.

But do they?  It’s hard to find research regarding the drinking habits of men and women, but studies suggest that any alcoholism gap between men and women is closing fast.  In my personal observation, your average neighborhood dive bar in booze-soaked San Francisco has nearly equal parts male and female regulars.  However, my contacts in the bar industry tell me that the stereotype is somewhat true–women tend to order lighter, fruitier cocktails and beers, and men tend to order straight alcohol and dark beer.  Cheap beer such as Pabst seems to be the great unifier, though, being equally consumed by both genders.

This informal survey of my own bartending friends is of course not meant to be authoritative or exhaustive, but it seems to some extent the feedback loop of advertising and consumption continues apace.  Women are told that drinking heavily is masculine but it’s okay to drink Hpnotiq and Cosmopolitans, so that’s what they consume.  Men are told they must be able to handle shots of bourbon and the blackest beer available, so they corrode their livers with the highest proof booze they can find.

Is this a gender role worth reversing?  As a hater of wine coolers and lover of stout, I would say yes, but in the end it’s all booze and it’s all bad for you.

Brigid J. Barry is the associate editor of Is Greater Than, and a freelance copy editor based in San Francisco, CA. She also writes short fiction and cultural analysis, and knits in her spare time.

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