Issue 9 (PDF 1.26 mb) - Bournemouth University

Gender, class and
‘binge’ drinking
I started a PhD as part of the BU
studentship scheme in October
2006, with the title ‘Gender,
class and ‘binge’ drinking’. In
2005-2006 I took an MA in Social
Research at Goldsmiths College,
London, having read History
and Politics at Corpus Christi
College, Oxford. My background
is primarily that of a social
scientist, and this study will take
an ethnographic approach to
understanding drinking among
young people in Bournemouth.
There is a wealth of commentary on young
people’s drinking habits in the press and
television documentaries, but academic
work on the subject remains lacking. There
are quantitative studies that focus on the
number of units young people drink, and
the possible epidemiological links between
drinking and ill-health, yet often these only
consider the beliefs and understandings of
the young people themselves in passing.
We cannot fully understand drinking,
or associated phenomena such as
interpersonal violence, without considering
the viewpoints of those who indulge in
these activities. An ethnographic approach,
which aims to understand the social
world from the viewpoint of the research
participants, therefore offers a balance
to other more quantitative
epidemiological perspectives.
“Alcohol policy cannot
be sensitive or successful
without understanding
the role that alcohol
plays in young
people’s lives.”
My study will primarily consider how
young people’s identities influence – and
are influenced by – their drinking practices.
The facets of identity that are of most
concern, as the title suggests, are gender
and class. These characteristics are usually
clearly highlighted in both academic and
popular reports of drinking: it is hard
to find a report of drinking practices in
the UK that does not focus on women’s
drinking practices and their relationship
to traditional notions of femininity. I am
now beginning to make contact with both
retailers and regulators of the night-time
economy, such as the council, police and
bar managers. The study could be of use
to policy-makers within Bournemouth and
– perhaps! – Britain as a whole. Alcohol
policy cannot be sensitive or successful
without understanding the role that alcohol
plays in young people’s lives.
Will Haydock
PhD student, IHCS
whaydock@bournemouth.ac.uk
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