Abstract
This study investigates how the drinking culture of companies differ for women in male-dominated industries compared to female-dominated industries. Through interviews with six women in a convenience sample, I compared the experiences of women in different industries to examine a variety of factors including whether they felt pressured to drink alcohol in social settings, how their experiences at office events impacted how they view and are viewed by their coworkers and managers, and what the effects of the drinking culture are on the culture inside their company. I found that women in male-dominated industries were much more likely to be pressured to drink, and the drinking culture negatively impacted how they viewed their coworkers, managers, and company. This heavily contrasted the experience of women in female-dominated industries who all felt as though the drinking culture at their company improved how they viewed people they worked with at every level and never felt the social pressure to engage in drinking culture. This difference shows the lack of improvement to dismantle the systems of oppression and patriarchy in male-dominated industries despite the increase in women working for them.
Recommended Citation
Savage, Anna
(2026)
"A Qualitative Exploration of Drinking Culture for Women in the Workforce,"
Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association: Vol. 2025, Article 13.
Available at:
https://docs.rwu.edu/nyscaproceedings/vol2025/iss1/13