Struggles Over Access To Alcohol - Essay Example

Struggles Over Access To Alcohol Throughout history, the roles and position of women have been fashioned by varying cultural aspects initiated by the social organization, traditions, and religion. The social environments in different parts of the world have brought about diverse social expectations between women and men. In the long run, there has been the development of certain aspects of women’s external relations within the social order. Gender disparity has been the focus of these aspects, which has made women fight for equal social participation. In Australia, women experienced several precincts in providing labor during the nineteenth century. Women primarily provided domestic labor and had little involvement in the public labor sphere. Working and drinking in pubs was traditionally a masculine job. The majority of bar workers and patrons were male, but in the nineteenth century, women started working in pubs as barmaids. This was as a result of severe gender struggle in the society as women struggled to participate in the social sphere dominated by men. In the nineteenth century, few women participated in the paid workforce, and did not participate in work-related activism such as trade unions1. Historically, women skills were ignored, undervalued, and judged to have less importance than those of men. There existed a gendered economy and labor force in the country due to the sexual division of labor within the family and gender segmentation in the workplace. During this time, women labor was less significant to the economy than that of the men, and the men's' work and politics depended on the absence of the women. Women were located in the private sphere of domestic labor. This changed in the 1980s when women became increasingly visible in professions traditionally dominated by men. This involved women participation in masculine professions that involved paid employment and formal cash economy. During the nineteenth century, domestic service was the largest employer of women. This involved providing domestic labor in other people's house s2. The homestead was also a site for cash production for women. Several women used their houses as places of work by providing services and participating in unpaid responsibilities such as caring for children. The home was a place of residence and place of work for women. Women convicted of small felonies were assigned to domestic service for private homes and the government. Female factories were established in Sydney and Hobart, which were centers of labor supply and punishment. Women in these centers worked on laundry and sewing contracts from the local community. These women were then allocated local properties as domestic servants. Immigration schemes in the country guaranteed the supply of female labor for private households. Female immigrants were accommodated in reception homes funded by the government before being dispatched to households. Domestic servants in paid positions experienced isolation due to long working hours and had little time to meet others. From the late nineteenth century, women increasingly participated in paid employment. The opportunities for women to participate in professions such as teaching and nursing increased as women were admitted in small numbers in universities and tertiary education centers3. The Australian market-based economy also expanded and women's labor was incorporated in manufacturing, retail, and service industries. The locus of production moved away from the household, which lessened the home production of household goods. The shift in production introduced the demand for cash since household goods were manufactured in the industries and bought for cash. The marketplace also introduced improved labor opportunities, which attracted several women engaged in household labor. Working-class women had better opportunities than middle-class women, which attracted several women into professions. Changes in the society such as divorce made paid labor outside the homestead a necessity. The Australian pub was exclusively a male preserve in the early nineteenth century. Men would gather at the bars and lounges after work for refreshments and socialization. Public bars were exclusively male provinces in the spheres of workers and patrons. According to Wright4, the feminist assumption of the pub as a masculine preserve had to be challenged. Female barmaids had a difficult time working at the bar due to gender discrimination. Selling alcohol was a rare avenue for financial independence for women in the country. The hotel was a male domain in the post-war period and the bar was a feminized space. Female navigation to control the public space drew several women to working as barmaids. Women had to live in an environment that mixed both the public and private space. This involved working in pubs as barmaids and providing domestic labor after the bars closed. The female publican gained power and control in the pub, but the power came from the maternal service role. Women working in pubs rarely got personal time and were only welcome as workers and not customers4. Women experienced hostility when they visited pubs as customers unless they knew the publican behind the bar. Several women would own or work in a pub, but could not visit other hotels due to hostile environments created by men. This alienated the pub from most women who did not work as publicans. This gave women publicans the power and strength to run pubs and become business acumen, while men worked in industries and other sectors of the market economy. Working in the pub gave women an opportunity to soar beyond the confinement created within the homestead where they provided domestic labor. This led to the establishment of powerful female publicans behind the bars. The Second World War caused a shortage of male workers in the pubs. This created an influx of women into occupations traditionally dominated by men. During the war, women doing men’s work got equal pay due to the existence of male and female pay rates5. Working as a barmaid was one of the opportunities available for women due to labor deficiency caused by the war. Equal pay rates attracted several women from their traditional household chores to work in public spaces. The federal government allowed female labor in the pubs as a method of liquor control. Women barmaids were not allowed to work past 6.00 pm, which was a strategy of controlling the behavior of drunken soldiers. This led to the enactment of labor laws protecting barmaids against exploitation and unequal pay. The participation of women in the bars created a shift of social responsibilities and hastened the gender struggle experienced in Australia. The labor unions representing barmaids campaigned for improved working conditions and employment opportunities similar to those experienced by men. According to Kirkby5, barmaids have provided waged labor in Australian pubs for over a century. They have been instrumental in shaping the female labor force despite criticism and hostility for participating in male domains. Female barmaids were viewed by men as sexual attractions to trade instead of workers. This led to a male misinterpretation of the female culture by viewing barmaids as sexual figures. Men would crowd in bars and lounges due to the attraction of female barmaids. This led to the misrepresentation of female bar workers due to their integration in the male-dominated public space. Women experienced a shift in the concepts of sexuality, femininity, drink, and citizenship that changed the cultural image of the barmaid. This shift affected the conditions and social meaning of the labor provided by barmaids. They were highly objectified by male customers, which made it difficult for women to participate in drinking activities. Working as barmaids empowered women and shaped their working environment. Bar ownership was a male business sector, and very few women had licenses to operate pubs. The entry of women behind the bar changed the business culture and by 1815, one of every eight pubs in Sydney was owned by a woman. The participation of women in paid labor in pubs had shifted the scope to empowering them to participate in business ownership6. Wives and daughters also remained owners of pubs licensed to their husbands and daughters. This gave them success in trade and economic independence, which enhanced their personal autonomy. This gave pub owners respect and responsibilities beyond the household duties and childcare. Businesswomen had the chance to participate in other social spheres such as education dominated by men. The number of women pub owners was a small minority but was significant in changing the status quo of the business sector. Some of the female owners would compete with their male counterparts for control of the drink business. In the colonial era, pubs were viewed as family homes, and women lived in the context of the family. Bar work utilized the common woman skills and paired well with household responsibilities6. This created domestic surroundings within the pub, which made women effective barmaids. However, women experienced respect and disrespect within the pubs. Barmaids had to negotiate and define the boundaries that separated them from other public women working as prostitutes. Male bar workers were not subjected to difficult conditions and disrespect compared to female workers. Female barmaids had a tendency of enticing male patrons into their pubs, which led to the masculine perspective of sexualizing female workers. This was difficult for female workers who had families and had to endure disrespect and breach of work boundaries. Beer drinking was a religion in Australia that was more important than some conventional religions. It was a practice associated with masculinity and had become part of the Australian culture6. However, women participated as brewers and ale-sellers. They brewed alongside men and were also known for enjoying their beer. This led to the establishment of female pubs in the country where women would own pubs, sell beer, and meet to drink on female lounges. This created a transformation from the traditional masculine-dominated industry to a cross-gender industry where women could brew and drink. Several Australians wanted a mixed-sex drinking in comfortable venues compared to the traditional drinking venues full of men. This attracted female beer consumers into pubs where they could drink alongside their male counterparts. This practice was also responsible for attracting numerous women as barmaids and bar owners. The six o’clock swill was introduced during the First World War to control the behavior of soldiers and preserve the country’s resources. This rule changed the drinking culture and the nature of work in pubs especially the attendant-customer relationship7. The early closing rule made pubs high-pressure drinking zones rather than the business, discussion, and entertainment centers. Men working in other centers of the economy had to rush into pubs for an hour after closing their work. This created a rush hour that created difficult working conditions for barmaids. The maids had to serve crowds of patrons, which involved shouting for service, shoving crowds, and crushing utensils. The maids had to increase their speed of service and stay behind for cleaning after the pubs had closed. This called for stronger woman skills due to multitasking activities involved. The early closing rule introduced physical changes to pubs due to a large number of customers. Hotels had to expand their bar spaces in order to accommodate the large number of customers7. This made pubs a drinking establishment that supplemented the Australian drinking culture. Pub owners had to expand the drinking space and establish ladies lounges that separated the women from men. Barmaids visiting another pub or returning as customers had to occupy the ladies lounges. This created an absurd situation where barmaids served in the public bar, but could not drink in them as customers. The establishment of ladies lounges gave women more respect compared to those with access to the male space. Women visiting the pubs had the opportunity to participate in public drinking and preserve their status by remaining in the feminine space. However, this did not give the women complete freedom to participate in the drinking culture due to the physical separation of male and female drinking spaces. According to Homan8, the Australian rock and roll was a revolution in the music industry. Live rock bands performed in pubs, which attracted large crowds of people. Patrons would overcrowd pubs and hotels to dance to the music played by the local rock bands. This led to the establishment of dance parties in urban hotels and local drinking pubs. The parties usually involved large numbers of people who would overcrowd the pubs and worsen the working conditions of the barmaids. The overcrowded bars and dance floors would lead to beer spilling and broken bottles that required cleaning after the pubs had closed. This would strain the women working as barmaids, who had to perform their household responsibilities after leaving the pub. This would affect the wellbeing of the barmaids and their families. Drinking women would also be tempted to consume alcohol heavily due to the influence of the rock parties. The pub business introduced some discrimination in the country. Aboriginal Australian women were not allowed to work in the pubs or drink in the public spaces during the early nineteenth century9. White men dominated the public space and only white women were allowed to work as barmaids. Aboriginal women had to perform the traditional female duties of providing household labor. This led to the formation of unions that campaigned for equal employment opportunities for Aboriginal Australians. Human rights groups were formed to fight for the rights of the indigenous residents. The establishment of WTCU created a new dawn in the fight for human rights for aboriginals9. This led to the introduction of equal working and employment opportunities for all races, which led to the participation of aboriginals in the market economy. The union also fought for equal opportunities for men and women in the increasing struggle for gender equality in the country. The struggle for gender equality and the participation of women in pub labor has continued up to date. Several pubs in Australia have both male and female patrons. Several Australian women start drinking as young adults, which has exposed them to various forms of youth violence10. The presence of women in pubs is a common occurrence, which has led to increased risks associated with binge drinking and intoxication. However, the physical separation of male and female bar areas does not exist and young women drink in the company of men. Women patronizing pubs are victims of binge drinking of different types of alcohol such as spirits and beer. Adult Australian women still attend dance clubs and participate in occasional drinking. Majority of these women consume-full strength beer, which was part of the traditional drinking pattern of the Australian culture. In conclusion, Australia faced gender inequality in the provision of labor during the nineteenth century. Men and women had traditionally predefined roles in the society. The changing economy and the world war led to a shift in the labor market in the country. Women began participating in labor activities dominated by men. This involved participating in the public space such as pub attendants. Several women became barmaids, a position previously reserved for men. The changing social responsibilities and trends demanded financial freedom among women. This led to the emergence of female pub owners. Several women also participated in alcohol consumption as part of the Australian culture. However, the women were not allowed to mix with men in order to preserve their feminine status. This trend has continued to the present time where pubs are patronized by women. Dancing clubs and pubs are also frequented by men and women who drink together. Bibliography Grimshaw, Pat. "Gender, Citizenship, and Race in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of Australia,1890 to the 1930s.” Australian Feminist Studies 12, no.28 (1998): 199-214. Homan, Shane. The Mayor’s A Square: Live Music and Law and Order in Sydney. Newtown, N.S.W.: Local Consumption Publications, Sydney, 2003. Kay Saunders & Raymond Evans.Gender and productive relations: Introduction, Gender Relations in Australia: Domination and Negotiation. Sydney: Harcourt Brace, 1994, 222. Kirkby, Diane. Barmaids: A history of women’s work in pubs. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press, 1997, 159-182. Kirkby, Diane. “Beer, glorious beer”: Gender politics and Australian popular culture.Journal of Popular Culture 37, no. 2 (2003): 244–56. Luckins, Tanja. Pigs, hogs and Aussie blokes: the emergence of the term 'six o'clock swill’. History Australia 4, no.1 (June 2007): 08.1-0.17. Marilyn Lake. The independence of women and the brotherhood of man: Debates in the labor movement over equal pay and motherhood endowment in the 1920s’.Labor History, no. 63, (Nov. 1992): 2. Marilyn Lake. The constitution of political subjectivity and the writing of labor history’, Challenges to Labor History, Terry Irving (ed.), Sydney: UNSW Press, (1994), 85. Paul Williams. Alcohol, Young Persons, and Violence. Australian Institute of Criminology Research and Public Policy Series, (2001). Wright, Claire. Beyond the Ladies Lounge: Australia’s Female Publicans. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, (2003), 152-181. Read More