Gender stereotyping in drinks to be raised in parliament

Campaign groups Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) will highlight the “unfair and unhelpful” stereotypes about women and alcohol at Scottish Parliament this evening.

The ‘Women and Alcohol: Key Issues’ study highlights the challenges faced by women in relation to alcohol

A new report, called Women and Alcohol: Key Issues, launched today (21 March) by SHAAP and the IAS, addresses some of the challenges faced by women in relation to alcohol.

The report draws on findings from a series of consultation events held in Edinburgh and London last year about the relationships between alcohol and women.

Recommendations from the report include better collaboration between researchers, practitioners, women’s rights groups, and those with personal experience of alcohol harm.

It also calls for greater restrictions to be put in place for all forms of alcohol marketing – including sexualised images and messaging relating to women – as well as women-only spaces in alcohol services and more residential treatment and recovery support for women and children.

The study is supported by infographics from Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Stirling.

Supporting the parliamentary event, Dr Carol Emslie, from Glasgow Caledonian University, and Dr Niamh Fitzgerald, from University of Stirling, will present infographics intended to challenge stereotypes and stigmatising attitudes about gender and drinking.

Authors of the report, Victoria Troy and Dr Eric Carlin, said: “Although men are about twice as likely as women to die from alcohol-related causes, media discussion often focusses on the perceived problem of women’s drinking, with moralistic and stigmatising attitudes featuring strongly in public discussions.

“We’ve been trying to explore why this happens and to suggest how we can counter cynical marketing by alcohol producers that exploit rather than emancipate women, as well as suggesting how support services can be more women-friendly.”

Emslie said: “Women are still judged more harshly than men if they have been drinking and media reports continue to highlight young women as a group prone to ‘risky’ drinking. Our infographics ask people to question why stereotypes about gender and alcohol persist.

“Watch out for ‘bench girl’, an image often used to accompany any story on alcohol, showing a young woman in a black dress and boots, sprawled apparently semi-conscious on a street bench. Yet official statistics demonstrate older men make up the majority of those who die or are hospitalised for alcohol-related causes”.

Katherine Brown, chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, added: “Some of the findings from these seminars were really worrying. The sexualisation of women in alcohol marketing may be working to undermine gender equality and ultimately de-sensitise public attitudes towards domestic abuse and sexual assault.

“We need to see an end to such practices and learn from other countries such as France which restrict alcohol advertising to protect against adverse outcomes.”

The event is sponsored by Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP and will take place in the Fleming Room from 6-8pm.