Unruly Women and Violent Men

Abstract

Studies of male drinking behavior in modern societies note that one of the reasons men drink is because of the feeling of power that alcohol gives them. In his article entitled ‘Drinking as a Manifestation of Power Concerns,’ Richard A. Boyatzis states that, ‘men drink alcoholic beverages to attain, or regain, a feeling of strength.’ Drinking makes men feel strong and important, and it makes them feel that they can dominate or influence others. This attribute of alcohol can have a detrimental effect on the other reasons men engage in drinking. After fleeing from the threatening and civilizing female presence in the home, men take refuge in male-dominated drinking establishments and engage in macho drinking contests with companions, colleagues, and neighbors. The fellowship of the drink reinforces ties of identity and solidarity. The jolly congeniality of such activity is misleading, because violence always lurks around the corner. Ties of identity and solidarity can be directed against outsiders, drunken jokes that make fun of a fellow drinker can become insults impugning his masculine honor, and the feeling of dominance and influence that comes from alcohol can lead to aggressive, assertive, and even violent behavior. What about women? According to Boyatzis, alcohol does not work that way for women. Drinking makes women feel more feminine, less assertive and aggressive, and less concerned with power.1 In traditional Europe, however, alcohol made women assertive and aggressive, and it made them challenge patriarchal power. Women drank to escape subordination. At least that was how men perceived drinking women.