From Norway:
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> Women and alcohol
>
> Have you ever heard the phrase :"Women, wine and song"? Nowadays this
> expression will be considered more or less a clichi, describing
> shallow characters' high life, full of enjoyment and free from care.
> On the other hand, it is interesting to notice how this clichi makes
> reference to women, comparing them to intoxicants, a commodity, or
> eventually just a pleasing way to kill time. The strange thing is that
> this clichi can be said to have regained some of its original meaning
> today. Women now drink more wine than men, (although we do not know if
> they sing while they are drinking). The view of women as commodities,
> or something used to pass the time, should be kept in mind when one
> reads the following passage from Jack London's novel "John
> Barleycorn", published in 1913:
>
> "The women are the true conservators of the race. The men
> are the wastrels, the adventure-lovers and gamblers, and in
> the end it is by their women that they are saved. About
> man's first experiment in chemistry was the making of
> alcohol, and down all the generations to this day man has
> continued to manufacture and drink it. And there has never
> been a day when the women have not resented man's use of
> alcohol, though they have never had the power to give weight
> to their resentment. The moment women get the vote in any
> community, the first thing they proceed to do, or try to do,
> is to close the saloons."
>
> (Chapter XXXVII, Novels and Social Writings of Jack London,
> The Library of America, New York 1982.)
>
> When women finally got their suffrage, London's prophsy seemed about
> to come true. Women in the U.S. instituted "The Anti-Saloon League", a
> herald to the following period of prohibition. Women in Norway, who
> got their suffrage the very year "John Barleycorn"'s publishing, were
> the main forces behind the temperance movement. The prohibition in
> Norway was a direct result of their work, and for the following
> decades they continued to vote alcohol down in a series of local
> referendums. Are these features still characteristic of today's
> situation? Are women still hostile to alcohol? What are women's
> interests in relation to alcohol? What influence does alcohol have on
> women's situation of today? Should we regard women's increased
> consumption as a step towards liberation and equality between the
> sexes? What are the responsiblities of the feminist movement in order
> to answer these questions?
>
> Are women still hostile to alcohol?
>
> The number of alcohol consumers divides almost equal between the
> sexes: 82% of Norwegian women and 89% of Norwegian men drink alcohol.
> However, if we compare women's drinking to men's average consumption,
> we will find that women drink only one third of this quantity. On the
> other hand, women now drink more than they did just twenty years ago.
> According to SIFA (the Norwegian national institute for research on
> alcohol and narcotics), the consumption of alcohol developes gradually
> on an equal basis for both sexes, until a "normal" difference is
> established at the age of 18-19. Boys usually drink far more beer than
> girls do, and the difference is even more pronounced when it comes to
> liquor. On the other hand, girls will match boys in their consummation
> of wine, and even seem to exceed them a bit in some age groups.
> National analyses questioning people of all ages, show that business
> women drink more alcohol than do housewives. Even though women no
> longer can be said to wholly abstain from alcohol, they still seem to
> be somewhat more sceptical of this intoxicant than are men.
>
> What are women's interests in relation to alcohol?
>
> From a biological point of view, there are strong reasons for this
> female scepticism. Women's bodies are smaller than men's, and because
> their cells contain more fat women will easily become as drunk as men,
> even if they drink only half as much. "Drinking like a man" women
> expose themselves to an even greater risk of accidents, injuries and
> addiction. For women, a pint of beer or 1/4 bottle of wine each day is
> more than the body can endure, and over time serious health problems
> will emerge.
>
>
> Most women have the ability to give birth. One should keep in [Image]
> mind that embryos are vulnerable to the effects of alcohol.
> Pregnant women can cause severe injuries to their child by drinking
> excessively. The effects could turn out to be a deformed face or body,
> hampering of natural development, or a brain damage. Figures from
> Norway show that every year 150-200 newborn children suffer from these
> damages. The increasing tendency for miscarriages, prematurity and
> still-born babies could also be related to alcohol consumption. The
> risk of such events happening, will increase at a consumption
> exceeding 1/3-1/2 bottle of wine a day.
>
> Before modern contraceptives were put to use, women had to be
> particulary aware of certain alcohol-related risks. Children were
> supposed to be born into a family that was able to provide for them
> and educate them properly, and pregnancy had to be avoided when these
> conditions could not be fulfilled. In spite of the fact that both
> sexes were familiar with these circumstances, women usually had to
> take both the responsibility and the precautions. Sobriety could be
> crucial in avoiding unwanted pregnancy. Today the supply of
> contraceptives has improved, and having sex does not necessarily lead
> to pregnancy. Casual sex, on the other hand, is often closely related
> to alcohol, and can have several consequenses. The most saddening
> examples are young girls who become mothers before they have completed
> their education, or established any familiy. As we know, this may lead
> to abortions. The risk of venereal diseases is another incentive to be
> aware of the risk of casual relationships.
>
> According to earlier Western feminine ideals, women should be very
> careful in respect to alcohol. As "the weaker sex", they should either
> avoid it completely, or at most drink very small quantities of wine. A
> "lady" should never expose herself to the shame of showing up in
> public when affected by alcohol, because drunken women ment
> embarrasment to everybody. Only recently scientific work has
> discovered the biologically determined consequences of women's
> drinking. Perhaps this former feminine ideal is an expression of
> ancient knowledge, a combination of biology and a sort of social
> awareness, urging every woman to secure her own future by avioding
> unwanted pregnancy.
>
> During the centuries, women have fought alcohol for more reasons than
> the threat of public disgrace. More serious were drunken men's
> violence towards their wives and children. Fekjaer (1987) states that
> the temperance movement was not instituted to protect the liver, but
> took bound to take shape as a popular movement to protect women and
> children from the abuse from drunken men. The delegates at a Norwegian
> national women congress in 1925 (held by the Norwegian Labour Party)
> voted for prohibition to be upheld, although this act was about to be
> repealed. A majority of the arguments in the debate cited alcohol as
> the main cause of violence and abuse. The police stored piles of
> reports concerning abuse of women, despite the fact that very few had
> the courage to report their husband to the authorities.
>
> Gitta Joenson from Tromsx was quoted as saying:
>
> "Up till now, working class women have been working as
> cleaning staff employed by drunkenness. Physically and
> spiritually they have been forced to deal with the filth
> caused by drunkenness. When we meet tired faces and apathy
> within the Labour movement, and when we realize that these
> people have no jobs and no food, we have to take action, and
> shout our demand: Get the liquor out of our life! This must
> be the task of the workers and their wives."
>
> The Sweedish pioneer among working class women, Kata Dahlstroem,
> pointed at another aspect of alcohol at a similar Sweedish congress in
> 1908, where as many as five legislative proposals concerning alcohol
> were treated. She stated:
>
> "...a drunken worker will never be able to comprehend the
> ideas of this organization".
>
> The aspect of passivity was an important argument in the debate at the
> time. We can conclude that women and their organizations were fully
> aware of the problems they had to face, both as individuals and a
> group. Almost every problem was alcohol-related, in one way or
> another. Have these problems changed their contents today?
>
> What does alcohol mean to women's situation in today's Norway?
>
> "Oppression" still has to be the key word. Everybody will agree that
> oppression of women still takes place, regardless of all acts
> concerning equality between the sexes. This oppression is partly
> determined by informal rules and traditions in our society; but will
> also appear as results of personal attitudes which of course mingle
> with tradition and common prejudices. The society oppresses women both
> as a sex and as a class. Obvious examples are women who are more or
> less forced into low-wage jobs, still retaining full responsiblity for
> domestic work and children. Oppression of women is thus exercised both
> economically, politically, idiologically and sexually. Sooner or later
> these conditions will provoke two types of reactions: Escape and
> adaption, or resistance. Women's increased consumption of alcohol will
> erode their ability to fight, and promote escape and adaption as the
> easy way out. We know that women's alcohol problems are increasing. If
> the social consequences of alcohol have not changed over the last
> decades, increased consummatiom among women will inevitably lead to
> increased passivity. Formerly, this phenomenon was common among men,
> but it has now extended to mark the attitudes of women as well. Or are
> feminist organizations satisfied as long as they manage to attract new
> members into their lines?
>
> In other words, alcohol will have severe consequences for women,
> whether they choose to join or refrain from the drinking. The wide
> expansion of alcohol has contributed to women and the female body
> beeing viewed as a commodity, an item to buy and sell. Prostitution is
> among the more extreme results. Without the presence of alcohol,
> prostitution as a phenomenon would lose important factors that
> constitute its basis. Most of the girls in this profession have a
> family background sharply marked by alcohol-related problems.
> Prostitutes frequently feel the need to drug themselves to endure
> their work, and alcohol is a cheap solution. Prostitutes and customers
> often make their contacts in places where alcohol holds a strong
> position, i.e. clubs and restaurants. Pimps also frequently operate
> from clubs. The wish for contact with a prostitute will often be
> strengthened when potential customers are affected by alcohol. This is
> not presented as a thorough analysis of the nature of prostitution,
> but maybe these arguments illuminate some aspects of the problem that
> have been avoided so far by experts as well as politicians.
>
> Our traditions concerning alcohol permits drunken people to deny any
> responsibility for their actions and statements. Silly or unacceptable
> actions can be performed, whith the blame being put on the alcohol,
> and therefore the performer maintains his self-respect. Alcohol used
> as an explanation will also be accepted by this person's community.
> Conditions like these allow i.e. the more brutal aspects of male
> ideals to dominate the personality of a drunken man. Alcohol can
> easily scratch the thin surface displaying a "modern" view of women,
> which are results from the last decades' education and work for
> equality between the sexes. Without the presence of alcohol, the
> chatting-up atmpsphere in clubs and discoteques would be very
> different. Violence against women would be less prevalent, as we know
> that 60% of all rapes are committed when the rapist is affected by
> alcohol. A Norwegian analysis questioning abused women, asked for
> their opinions of motives for the rape. The answers placed alcohol as
> a reason above problems like jealousy and quarreling over money. An
> American analysis concludes that compared to men, women are more
> likely to be troubled by other people's drunken behaviour, also when
> they do not drink themselves. Men can also become victims if such
> behaviour turns violent, but they as victims often start out by taking
> part in the drinking themselves. Women are thus more vulnerable to
> other people's drinking.
>
> When we look at women's situation today, we see that the majority of
> their problems are caused by structural conditions in society. Some
> examples are kindergartens, places of work, the wages question, and
> the availability of supplementary training. Men and women have common
> interests in most of these issues, so the problems concerning women
> cannot be solved unless men are involved. Alcohol is one of the
> factord that work to split the interests of the sexes, spurring
> hostlilty. Alcohol is presumably the cause of every fifth divorce in
> Norway today, affecting about 2000 children each year. Most of women's
> problems cannot be solved individually, although a woman will often
> try. This pattern of trying to solve problems that are shared by amny
> individually will inevitably lead to disunity, making it easier to
> oppress women. Escape and adaption to a miserable life are increasing
> problems in this group.
>
> The international brewery corporations have made women their
> particular target group. Cookery books and recipes promoting the use
> of alcohol is a natural part of their marketing. In Norway, the
> distribution of beer through grocery stores is a drive for the capture
> of women as costumers. Women are often responsible for most of the
> shopping, and will thus be exposed to the commercials based on the
> strategy of unplanned and impulse-induced shopping. Light-wine as an
> item in Norwegian grocery stores is another example of the expanding
> wine-drinking culture, something that women have proved to be least
> able to resist. Newspaper articles and reports recommending wine can
> be viewed as ideological attempts to influence both the everyday life
> and more festive occasions in almost every family. Magazines,
> newspapers, television and movies will present the self-reliant woman
> as consuming as much alcohol as any man.
>
> Should the increased consumption be viewed as a step towards
> liberation of women and equality between the sexes?
>
> On the background of what has already been said, the answer must be
> "no". On the other hand, there has been no discussion of alcohol in
> the feminist organizations. They can even advertise their meetings by
> underlining alcohol as a part of the social atmosphere, to attract
> people's attention. A Norwegian feminist group organized a sit-in at a
> pub in Oslo in the 1970's, because only men were allowed as customers.
> Women in the social democratic movement in the 1920's and 30's worked
> for equality between the sexes, but this should not be achieved by
> conquering men's bad "rights". Will today's women see men's
> alcohol-traditions as a benefit worth fighting for, or should our
> knowledge of the consequences mean that the work for equality must be
> fought through a reduction of the total consummation? Should the
> feminist's disinterest in these problems be interpreted as ignorance
> of female pride and knowledge? Or could the disinterest appear to be a
> result of a feminist movement dominated by resourceful, educated
> bourgeois women, who promote a carreer and an individuality that will
> survive in a man's world? Should women like Margareth Tatcher and the
> Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland be viewed as the
> feminine ideal, or should we take our examples from pioneers like Kata
> Dahlstroem or Gitta Joensson?
>
> What are the responsibilities of the feminist movement?
>
> This question is not easy to answer, but as long as alcohol is the
> major single cause of abuse of women and increasing dependency upon
> social assistance, feminist organizations have to start discussing a
> strategy to meet this problem, which in fact concerns women in
> general.
>
> What is the League Against Intoxicants?
>
> The League Against Intoxicants aims to solve important drug-related
> problems.
>
> The League Against Intoxicants will urge people to join our work
> against the spreading and use of drugs. We will prove the harmful
> effects of alcohol, narcotics, tranquilizers and chemicals for
> inhalation; and show how intoxicants affect both individuals and the
> society.
>
> The League Against Intoxicants point at concrete means to reduce both
> the use of and the injuries caused by intoxicants. We want to uncover
> the strong forces in our society, that work to maintain and increase
> the consumption, and therefore the effects, of alcohol.
>
> The League Against Intoxicants will make an appeal for people to be
> concious of their responsibility to stop or reduce their drinking
> whilst among their friends, and to participate in work to prevent
> drug-related injuries. Our object is to raise a popular consensus to
> support an active governmental drug policy.
>
> The League Against Intoxicants demand that the authorities will put
> their alcohol policy into action, not words. The World's Health
> Organization (WHO) recommends that the consumption of alcohol should
> be reduced with 25 percent towards the end of the century.
>
> [Image]
>
> The League Against Intoxicants says "yes" to intoxicating experiences
> caused by a natural stimulation of the senses. We want to promote the
> kicks caused by high speed, excitement, creative work, nature, music,
> art, physical exercise, sex, love, friendship, and solidarity.
>
> The League Against Intoxicants says "no" to people using "fake"
> stimulans like alcohol, narcotics and tranquilizers to produce these
> feelings.
>
> The League Against Intoxicants will work to stop both the spreading
> and the use of intoxicants, which apathize the users and hamper
> individual development.
>
> The League Against Intoxicants will urge everybody to fight the apathy
> and contamination represented by intoxicants. We take our standpoint
> seriously, and base our work on total temperance.
>
> The League Against Intoxicantsworks through small groups and units in
> Norway. Everybody who agrees are welcome as members in the League. A
> membership means environmental care working against drugs, carried
> forth by the courage of strong opinions. A personal standpoint and
> attitude are effective ways to fight both drinking pressure and a
> drug-promoting culture.
>
> Everybody willing to join us where they live, as members and/or by
> spreading information about our standpoints, please do not hesitate to
> call or write our office:
>
> The League Against Intoxicants
> Mxllergata 38
> N-0179 Oslo
> Norway
>
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>
> Kaj Hejer, [log in to unmask], 15. oct. 1995
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