A new study conducted by a team of researchers has revealed that people usually consider women sexually available when they hold a glass of drink. The new study tried to highlight the harmful stereotype perception towards women when they drink alcohol, despite their actual behaviour and character.
This study included 400 male and female participants. After conducting the research the team found out that holding a cup of beer is enough to judge a woman's sexual appeal.
Researchers also noticed that men consider women less human, more intoxicated and sexually available when they carry a glass of alcohol or beer. On the other hand, men were not considered sexually available if they use alcohol.
"While we predicted that women drinking alcohol would be dehumanized more than women drinking water or men drinking alcohol, it was still surprising to see it emerge. This is especially shocking because just holding a beer bottle increased perceptions of intoxication and perceptions of sexual availability for women, but not for men," said Jeanine Skorinko, a professor of social science and policy studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in a recent statement.
"Moreover, it didn't matter who the perceiver was – male and female perceivers dehumanized women drinking alcohol similarly," Skorinko further added.
As per the study, people used to mould this mindset due to existing stereotypes and false presumptions that alcohol and sexual promiscuity are interlinked.
Skorinko also added that this general stereotype may create worrying implications, as people may tend to behave aggressively towards women who drink alcohol believing that they might be readily available for sexual encounters.
"This research allows us to better understand how women who drink alcohol are perceived, and while these perceptions are quite negative, they give insights into how to move forward. By having this deeper understanding, hopefully, we can start to increase awareness of these issues and reduce the victimization of women—whether they are drinking or not," said Skorinko.
