In Britain,
boozing in pubs was traditionally the
preserve of men.
But increasingly women
have been joining them at the bar.
What made this happen?
When
a woman goes out to the pub, it's
no
longer to sit quietly
sipping
a
port and lemon.
Today they are as likely to be
matching
the men pint for pint. According to the Office of National Statistics,
young professional women drink in the same proportion as men. And of
course, with this habit comes a host of health risks. But how did women
get to be such big drinkers?
CHANGING
LIFESTYLES
The
past couple of decades has seen the rise of a class of professionals in
their 20s and 30s who typically have high
disposable
incomes and few responsibilities. The rise of women in paid employment
and the corresponding increase in disposable income has
fuelled
the increase in alcohol consumption. Young women - those without
family responsibilities - seem best able to fund the habit.
The tendency towards "extended youth" - people
putting
off marriage and children - may well have contributed towards
the trend of higher consumption of alcohol, among both women and men.
WOMEN-FRIENDLY
PUBS
It is only recently that brewers woke up to the potential of the
female market.
Old-style pubs, with their dark,
smoky
environments and translucent windows, were (often intentionally) a
turn-off
for women. But
proprietors reasoned that a
few simple adjustments could change all that. And if they could
attract females, the men would surely follow.
So pubs and bars have become more "female friendly". Big
windows, light woods and a more airy feel allow
passers-by to gauge the
place before walking in.
Inside are comfortable chairs, extra-long bars to avoid
queues
and a wide range of drinks including tea and coffee. Location is also
important. The bars tend to be situated on main roads, in
well-lit
areas,
within easy reach
of public transport.
DESIGNER
DRINKS
A
pint of ale has never been popular with women drinkers.
Hence
the rise of
so-called
"designer drinks" which include pre-mixed spirits such as
Smirnoff Ice, V2 and Bacardi Breezer. Brewers have even modified the
"hard liquor" image of spirits, with new concepts such as
fruit-flavoured vodka. Wine is more widely available than ever before,
and low-calorie brands such as Bud Light have been a big success with
women.
ADVERTISING
AND MARKETING
Women
used to be the subject of many alcohol advertising campaigns. Now they
are often the target audience. Check out the ads for Bacardi Breezer,
which feature a cat dancing on its
hind
legs with young women, or Baileys in which a woman orders a
drink by running her hands over her body or Archers Peach Schnapps, in
which a man is
outwitted
by his girlfriend, who goes for a
sneaky
night out on the
tiles.
ROLE
MODELS
It
has become the fashion for women to copy
pop stars such as Cerys Matthews or
wine-swilling
thirtysomethings
like the fictional Bridget Jones,
the
media is full of women saying "Why shouldn't we have
fun too?".
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to booze:
to
consume alcohol (consumir alcohol)
preserve: a domain that seems to be specially reserved
for someone (dominio exclusivo)
no longer: no more (ya no)
sip: drink in sips (sorber)
port: sweet dark-red dessert wine originally
from
Portugal (oporto)
matching: being equal to (igualando)
disposable: available (disponible)
fuelled: stimulated (estimulado)
put off: postpone (postergar)
smoky: full of smoke (llenos de humo)
turn-off: negative situation (giro negativo)
proprietors: owners (los dueños, los
propietarios)
passers-by: pedestrians (los peatones)
queues: lines (filas, colas)
well-lit: well-illuminated (bien iluminadas) |
within
easy reach: convenient (de fácil acceso, bien ubicado)
hence: therefore (por lo tanto)
so-called: better known as (así denominados,
conocidos como)
hind legs: back limbs (patas traseras)
outwitted: beat through cleverness and wit (engañado/a
a fuerza de tretas)
sneaky: using caution and secrecy to avoid being
observed (a escondidas)
tiles: rectangular slabs covering a roof (tejas)
wine-swilling: heavy drinkers of wine (embriagada/o)
thirtysomethings:
the time of life between 30 and 40 (treintañeras)
the media: television, movies, the press (los
medios
de comunicación) |
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