The Gender Pint Gap Revisited FINAL - Flipbook - Page 30
THE GENDER PINT GAP: REVISITED/INFLUENCES
Commentary and Opportunities
For both men and women, friends and family are by far the
biggest influence when it comes to their first experience of
drinking beer.
Insight: Young People and Alcohol Consumption
In 2011, The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) commissioned a major
report into young people, alcohol, and influences. It stated:
29
Lessons from London
We can’t ignore the ‘London Effect’.
Women in this region are significantly
more influenced by retailer
recommendations, and substantially
motivated by advertising.
London also has a thriving independent
beer scene and for women living in the
capital, they are more likely to be
exposed to gender neutral imagery
surrounding beer, and less likely to
encounter gender bias when ordering
beer in a bar.
“It’s interesting that there’s
this perception that beer is a
very male dominated space
… this hasn’t been my
experience. I always felt
that I’ve found lots of other
women who enjoyed beer
as much as me.”
Natalya Watson, London
based Beer Sommelier and
Advanced Cicerone®
The most common age for a first drink was 12 to 13; usually when with
an adult and celebrating a special occasion.
The Opportunity
Year 9 students (aged 13 to 14) are most likely to have been drinking
alcopops, beer (ale), or lager. By Year 11, (aged 15 to 16) students are most
likely to drink beer (ale), lager, spirits or liqueurs.
The Rest of the Country
Amongst Year 9 students, girls are significantly more likely than boys to
have had a drink.
This is not the case in other areas of
the country where beer drinking could
typically be associated with
“hegemonic masculinity”.
Most young people were aged eleven and over when they had their first
drink, most commonly having their first drink at around 12 to 13.
Around three-quarters of each year group reported being with an adult
when they first drank alcohol. They were likely to have been celebrating
a special occasion at the time, such as a family or religious event.
Hegemonic masculinity is a configuration
of gender that ensures the subordination of
women and of those men who fail to
distance themselves from the feminine or
homosexual