Drinking for wages: alcohol use among cantineras

This study reports on patterns of alcohol use among cantineras: recently immigrated Latina women who make a living drinking in working class Latino bars (cantinas).

Women working in 10 cantinas in a Latino neighborhood participated in a semistructured interview that included questions about their personal background and current working conditions. Twenty-one participants were interviewed at their home or place of work.

Drinking is a duty required of women who work in cantinas, and the conditions in which alcohol is consumed varies by the type of job they perform. Cantineras establish drinking habits and routines to maximize profits and maintain their jobs, while adopting coping strategies to minimize adverse health consequences.

The drinking behavior of cantineras presents a paradox. To make a living, they need to become efficient drinkers who profit from their behavior. At the same time, they need to recognize and set limits to their drinking. The norms of cantineras distinguish drinking as duty from drinking for recreation, and they recognize problem drinking. The heavy health burden imposed by obligatory drinking at work is the result of limited job opportunities and the marginality experienced by Latina immigrants who must find ways to cope with the pressures they endure as poor women.