The Gender Pint Gap Revisited FINAL - Flipbook - Page 56
THE GENDER PINT GAP: REVISITED/WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY
‘About Working in the Industry’ is a new question we devised for the 2023 report. We felt it was important to
measure attitudes about working in the beer industry in response to the widespread 2021 media coverage of
reported misogyny within the craft beer industry.
Background: Why did we ask this question?
As a reminder, it began with Brienne Allan, a Massachusetts-based brewer who, tired of being patronised by people in the
industry, opened up her Instagram account to allow others to share their experiences. Multiple allegations of bullying,
discrimination and harassment within the industry were shared by females and minorities simply trying to do a job they
loved.
Siobhan Buchanan, a UK based beer and travel writer followed her example and, through submissions to her own Instagram
account, found the same problems in the UK independent beer brewing world.
Workers recounted comments like "I didn't know girls like beer" or racist remarks. Many spoke of being sexually harassed by
customers but being brushed off by both male and female managers when they complained.
Some women claimed they had been passed over for promotion in favour of less experienced male colleagues. One recalled a
brewery owner telling her the reason women were not hired to work in beer production was because "it is more of a liability
due to harassment" and working in the front-of-house bar was a "safer spot for a female in the industry.” (Craft beer industry
accused of being 'sexist boys' club'; BBC News, July 2021).
At the time, Ms Buchanan said she was surprised at the "sheer volume of stories", but she was not shocked by what she read.
It exposed a seedy underbelly to the craft beer industry, which to many had seemed the epitome of a cool, progressive and
diverse sector.
Damaging as these reports were, it did force reputable brewers to foster a culture change and address the issues.
Whilst we have no comparable data from 2018, we wanted to find out whether women would consider a career within the beer
sector, and gauge opinion from women who were working, or had previously worked in the sector.
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