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Women have started drinking at the same rate as men
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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In Australia and the USA, scientists decided to find out who drinks more – men or women. To do this, they analyzed the amount of alcohol consumed in different countries over the past decades. As a result, they found that in recent years, women have begun to drink more alcohol and have almost caught up with men.
Historically, men have been more likely to drink alcohol, but scientists have now noticed that women are drinking almost as much as men, especially young women. Scientists say the data is incomplete and it is impossible to establish the real state of affairs with alcohol consumption, but the work is still thought-provoking.
Researchers from the Australian National University and Columbia University (USA) decided to undertake such an unusual study. As a result of searching for works that studied the amount of alcohol consumption in different countries, scientists selected more than 60 studies containing data on people born between 1891 and 2000, some studies lasted more than 20 years. In the process of work, 11 main indicators of alcohol consumption and the risks that alcohol poses to human health, regardless of gender, were identified. The indicators were divided into 3 categories: any consumption, problematic alcohol consumption, and risks associated with alcohol consumption.
Further analysis of the works showed that over the years the gender ratio changed, and women gradually caught up with men in terms of alcohol consumption, but women also almost caught up with men in terms of the corresponding problems associated with excessive alcohol consumption (addiction, diseases, etc.). Beginning in the 60s, the ratio of men and women in terms of alcohol consumption began to increase sharply, if before that time the ratio decreased by an average of 4.2%, then by 2000 the figure rose to 10.6%.
Experts cannot say what exactly influenced the fact that women began to drink almost equally with men. According to one version, this state of affairs could have been caused by the equalization of rights between men and women. The researchers also noted that the work carried out clearly indicates the need to create and introduce programs to reduce alcohol consumption among the population (both men and women), as well as to reduce health risks caused by excessive alcohol consumption, especially among young girls aged 15 to 25.
By the way, recently an international expert commission in the field of public health published a report stating that alcohol consumption is the main risk factor for the health of young people in any country in the world and a new study by scientists confirms that urgent measures must be taken to combat excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages.
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