Gender-Responsive Approaches to the Acceptability, Availability and Affordability of Alcohol. Brief 11

Gender-related norms persist in our societies, including in the consumption of alcohol. Despite knowing that men and women consume alcohol differently and are affected by its harm differently, alcohol control policies remain essentially gender blind. Highly gendered approaches to alcohol marketing and gender differences in patterns of alcohol consumption and its associated harm are well documented. Relatively little evidence has examined the different effects of population-level alcohol control policies on different genders, and even less has addressed how gender intersects with socioeconomic status, age, ethnicity, and other factors.
Experiences from countries illustrate gendered approaches being used by the alcohol industry (Brazil and the United States) and the innovative ways that governments and civil society organizations are tackling the gendered effects of alcohol consumption. This includes promoting employment outside the alcohol industry (United Republic of Tanzania), developing gender-specific supports for alcohol consumption (Pakistan and Scotland), mobilizing civil society to enforce marketing bans (Sri Lanka) and creating culturally sensitive and culturally embedded policies (Aotearoa New Zealand). There is a clear need for policy-relevant research that supports an increased understanding of what works for gender-responsive approaches to reduce the harm caused by alcohol consumption.