After traveling through Australia over the past few weeks, I’ve generated a few observations. One being that Australians like to party. Two being that more and more women are traveling solo. (I’ve met a lot along the way here in Oz and elsewhere – thanks for the boost of confidence, Cheryl Strayed!) Three being more and more of those women are ordering a beer when out at a restaurant or bar.
Being a Psychology major and all, I immediately tried to psychoanalyze why this was, why this golden elixir was everywhere I turned, and why more and more were being found in a woman’s hand (besides the fact that it’s cheaper than water in numerous countries). I took a look at the group I’m currently traveling with (two women) and thought back at what we’ve all ordered at dinners, bar, parties, etc. Beer ranked #1. Sure, an espresso martini wasn’t far behind (must be an Australian thing!), but beer has been the drink of choice among the three of us.
Why beer, though? I began to think back on what we’d been accomplishing here in Australia. We were covering some major ground on numerous road trips and plane flights, even making a jump across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand. There, we flew in helicopters, jumped out of airplanes and leaped off ledges, only to put our trust in a bungee cord to save our lives. We were in pursuit of happiness and adrenaline rushes – and what pairs well with those?
Beer, of course!
A beer at the end of the day acted as our reward. As avid travelers, we’re all (keyword on all) in constant search of adventure, inspiration, the best photo ops, and something that’s going to quench our thirst for all of the above. We’re in luck. There’s a beer for that.
And now for the gender roles. Take the olden days for example, of women doing all the cooking and cleaning. By evening, they’d sit down and have a glass of whatever. The men would have come home from being at the office all day, popping open a beer when they did. The opposite sex is also known for doing anything to seek an adrenaline rush. Isn’t that why men pay more for car insurance – because they’re more likely to speed, drive aggressively, etc? I don’t know what to say here except for thanks for the reduced rate, Geico. Is that one small step for women, one giant leap for womenkind? That doesn’t exactly make up for the gender pay gap.
My point is that gender roles have changed from what they were in the 1950s. Women can obviously do anything men can do, including but not limited to: working from 9-5, 6, or midnight if they damn well please, skydiving, and drinking beer. We all love beer.
After reading up on a few stats, I came to realize that we’re seeing the growing trend of women saying “cheers” with beer in the U.S.:
- Women currently account for 25 percent of beer consumption in the USA – the sale of beer to women is a growing market. (Drink Focus, 2014)
- Women between the ages of 21 and 30 are drinking more beer than women in other age groups – a strong indication for the beer industry that this segment will continue to drink beer as they get older. (Drink Focus, 2014)
Facts are facts, and here’s another truth: In any foreign country, I like to think beer unites us all. It’s a common denominator, allowing for conversation starters and a social gathering of sorts. People don’t make friends standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. They make friends over a drink in a pub. That’s what you remember years later – the men and women you met – or maybe not, depending on how many beers you went out for that night.
The video below shows how a hidden camera captures the misconception of women ordering beer yet not being served their brew at bars and restaurants. The struggle is real! It doesn’t matter if you’re a woman or a man, we ALL love beer!
This post is sponsored by LetsGrabA.Beer.
It is gender neutral as da fook! Lately, I have been drinking a lot of cider, not to bash beer, because I love beer. But there is something about a nice grown-up apple juice that satisfies my inner, gaelic child. That being said, I have drawn a lot of criticism from some down-home southern belles, claiming that cider is too sweet (I will admit that most American ciders are too sweet); teasing me, saying: "I am not man enough to drink a beer." Perhaps I am not girly enough to drink a beer. I also draw to mind, my friends who are one of my favorite couples. The guy always orders what has been traditionally considered girly cocktails e.g. a cosmo, while the girl always orders a Shiner. Does what you drink dictate what gender role you play? Should we even have gender roles to play? Or should we just play out life and find one (or many) that wants to play the way we play? Whether you are a girl or a guy drink a beer when you want one! When you don’t want one, drink something else…No reservations! Eat, Drink, and Be Merry! Great article! We need to spread beer-loving awareness! hahaha
I love this, Hunter. Thanks for your thoughts! Your friends would’ve been great co-stars in the embedded video above. All good questions to think about in here, and I very much agree with you sentiment of whether you’re a girl or a guy, drink a beer when you want one 🙂 Cheers, mate.
This was quite surprising to me, I’m from Uruguay, and here we drink as much beer as men, as do the women in neighboring countries (Argentina, Brazil, …), and when I was in Oz I drank quite a lot of it and got no weird looks… so I had no idea women drinking beer was a thing!