Social attitudes to women drinking are unacceptable and creating an unsafe culture, Scottish doctors say today.
At a Scottish Parliament event held today (21 March), policymakers, academics, researchers and politicians will discuss a new report from the Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems and the Institute of Alcohol Studies, which focuses on challenges faced by women in relation to alcohol.
They point out "the stigmatisation of women’s drinking, and the sexualisation of women in alcohol advertising".
The report, Recommendations from Women and Alcohol: Key Issues, calls for better collaboration between researchers, practitioners, women’s rights groups, and those with lived experience of alcohol harm.
Its authors want to see restrictions on all forms of alcohol marketing, including online, which sexualise women, and more women-only spaces in alcohol services including residential treatment and recovery support.
Authors Dr Victoria Troy and Dr Eric Carlin write: "Although men are about twice as likely as women to die from alcohol-related causes, media discussion often focusses on the perceived problem of women’s drinking, with moralistic and stigmatising attitudes featuring strongly in public discussions.
"We’ve been trying to explore how we can counter cynical marketing by alcohol producers that exploit rather than emancipate women, as well as suggesting how support services can be more women-friendly."
Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP commented: "I am really pleased to sponsor this event at Parliament – in our nation’s struggle with alcohol we have seen many myths linked to drinking habits and gender. If we are to tailor an effective national policy response we need to be clear about the facts and in particular challenge preconceptions.
“As research findings show, there are strong stereotypes embedded in our social consciousness, and our first challenge is to unpick these."
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