This journey on the role of women in the history of beer is almost over. If you haven't been able to read the previous posts, I'll give you a quick summary: beer was born in a feminine environment, women were the producers and protectors of this precious liquid that had nutritional, sanitary and even liturgical properties. But , when beer began to make money, they were pushed aside and manufacturing and distribution passed into the hands of men.
And so we come to the 1920s in the United States, when the dry law and the gangsters. Illegal brewing returned to the home and, consequently, to the hands of women. Later, in the 1930s and especially in the 1940s, came the crisis and the interwar period, when women began to work in factories, also in breweries, to replace men. So far doesn't look bad, does it?
In the 50s and 60s the economy began to stabilize, the dawn of the consumer society arrived, and with it the super masculine image that is still associated with the world of beer today. Do you remember Mad Men? It was in this type of advertising agency where the role of women in the world of beer was relegated to a mere purchase claim (as with so many other products). Suddenly, her link to production ended, but above all, to consumption. Drinking beer was for machos, for a man who comes home and needs a drink. Women who drank beer were considered unfeminine, and it was spread that there were other types of drinks more suitable for them and their femininity, such as cocktails or sparkling wines.
Fortunately, the 70s arrived, and with them the abolition of that prohibition of making beer for self-consumption that was still in force since the Dry Law! Times had changed: there was a return to craftsmanship and the hippie movement and against the system had also reached beer. Small manufacturers began to appear with a different orientation to the predominant industrial lager market. And again beer was associated with women, although with a rebellious and revolutionary component…. Isn't it great to see Janis Joplin drinking a can at a music festival?
However, despite the beauty of the image, it was not until the end of the 21st century that women managed to regain the prominence they had lost. On the one hand, it gradually entered the labor market during the 1980s and 1990s. And on the other, the craft world was perhaps more conducive to this opening, for the simple fact that the companies were family-owned.
The journey to the present day is still not easy for women in the beer sector, bearing in mind that the fight is sometimes a social issue, given the connotations that have been linked to this drink in recent times century.
Currently this female presence not only exists, but is claimed. The role of women is more visible and linked to the resurgence of the feminist movement. It is increasingly common to find brewmasters, as well as experts in other fields of the beer market such as quality control, finance, tasting or advice.
If it happened to you, friend BeerSapiens, like me, who had no idea of the importance that women had had in the history of beer, don't worry. Many times, the problem comes from who chooses what has to be told. Today I feel very proud of having done my bit to increase the visibility of women in this sector. So, I am going to choose a craft beer with women behind it and…. toast to them!
Cheers,