Gender composition of occupation and industry and working women's alcohol consumption

This article examines the impact of the gender compositions of occupation and industry on women workers' consumption of alcoholic beverages.

A sample of 11,783 currently working women, aged 21 to 65, was obtained from the 1990 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The gender compositions of three-digit occupational and industrial categories were calculated based on a 1% sample of the 1990 census and attached to the NHIS sample. A set of regression analyses tests the relationship between gender composition of occupation or industry and drinking behavior, such as the likelihood of being a drinker and the level of alcohol consumption among the drinkers, and reported levels of stress.

When the demographic background variables are controlled for, the percentage of men within each occupational classification is positively correlated with stress levels. Curvilinear relationships were found between percentage of men in both industry and occupation and the likelihood of drinking in the past year.

These findings suggest that the women working in gender-balanced rather than gender-typed, jobs were more likely to drink due to increased interaction between genders. The results also suggest that male dominance of an occupation may be a source of stress, which may increase alcohol consumption among women workers.