Changing Gender Norms for Alcohol Consumption: Social Drinking and Lowered Inhibitions at Bachelorette Parties

Abstract

In this research, we examined the role of alcohol as both substance and symbol at bachelorette parties. The bachelorette party is characterized by ritualized embarrassment of the bride and by sexualized games, both of which are made easier by heavy alcohol consumption. As there are few occasions when it is considered socially acceptable for women to drink, the bachelorette party provides a unique opportunity to explore women's social drinking and public drunkenness. Based on interviews with 51 women we found that drinking seemed to add to the fun of bachelorette parties and that group alcohol consumption appeared to increase social solidarity as women at bachelorette parties bonded over their shared experience. Finally, women relied on alcohol to lower inhibitions so that they were able to feel justified in engaging in deviant behavior. Women's use of alcohol in this ritual challenges existing gender norms and conceptions of masculinity and femininity. KEY WORDS: gender; alcohol; bachelorette party; lowered inhibitions.Gender norms dictate appropriate behavior for men and women. Whereas such expectations are modified and reconstructed as society at large changes, the undercurrent of traditional gender roles remains powerful in many areas of social life. One such area is alcohol consumption. Although women are no longer legally restricted from entering bars or having drinks in them, women's use of alcohol, particularly excessive use, is viewed differently than that of men. Because it is consistent with masculinity, heavy drinking and consequent boisterous or rowdy behavior among men is often excused or neutralized, whereas similar behavior on the part of women is viewed as deviant and is criticized. However, as the number of women attending college-a prime site for binge drinking and public drunkenness in Americaincreases, women's drinking norms and behaviors become more visible. Residential colleges afford young

Alcohol Consumption, Gender Identities and Women’s Changing Social Positions

“…Within this CoP members work together to successfully provide Tania with an identity that is aligned with 'heavy drinker' despite the fact she does not drink. This is inconsistent with traditional stereotypes that heavy alcohol consumption is a masculine activity (Montemurro and McClure 2005). It also does not fit with current negative and condemnatory media representations of women's excessive drinking (Day et al 2004).…”

“…employment) and have greater opportunities to engage in traditionally 'male' leisure activities such as frequent public drinking (Day et al 2004;Wilsnack et al 2000;Mőller-Leimkűhler et al 2002). However, research questions which simply link gender roles with drinking have been said to be "overly restrictive" (McCreary et al 1999, p. 2), and little research has investigated the contexts of women's drinking, their drinking patterns (Montemurro and McClure 2005), or the meanings women attach to their drinking (Day et al 2004).…”

“Girls will be served until you have to carry them out”: Gendered serving practices in Oslo

“…Although female public intoxication has traditionally been regarded as unwanted, deviant, and stigmatized (Bogren, 2011;Montemurro & McClure, 2005;Simonen et al, 2013), our study highlights a shift away from the construction of alcohol consumption and intoxication as an exclusively male activity. In a Scandinavian gender-egalitarian cultural context with liberal norms of intoxication, bartenders perceived female intoxication as normal and nothing to worry about.…”

“…Heavy drinking among men is more often excused or neutralized, whereas similar behavior on the part of women is viewed as deviant and is criticized (Montemurro & McClure, 2005;Simonen, Törrönen, & Tigerstedt, 2013). Further tension arises in relation to public intoxication, which tends to be less acceptable for women due to connotations of promiscuity, loss of femininity, and concerns about their increased vulnerability to unwanted sex (Bogren, 2008;Plant, 2008;Young, Morales, McCabe, Boyd, & d'Arcy, 2005).…”

Beyond the existence proof: ontological conditions, epistemological implications, and in-depth interview research

“…Although many use non-probability sampling although a list is accessible (e.g., Orrange 2003), another myth is that unless one can list all population members one cannot draw a probability sample (e.g., Marshall 1996, p. 523;Montemurro and McClure 2005). This myth is not entirely false, but because a list of lists is itself a list of the primary elements, the opportunity for probability sampling is legion despite this seemingly demanding requirement.…”