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Why Gender Matters When It Comes to Drinking

We like to think that men and women are equal in all things, right? When it comes to most of the A-words (like, academics, athletics, arts), women and men are equal.  Not so with alcohol. There are some important physiological and social differences that suggest alcohol has a different impact on men and women. Consider the following:

A woman will get drunk faster than a man consuming the same amount of alcohol.

Imagine you are a 130 pound female and you drink four 12 oz beers in 2 hours. Your estimated blood alcohol concentration (BAC) would be about .12. Most people feel pretty drunk at .12 BAC. Reaction time is delayed and muscle control is impaired. You might feel dizzy, nauseous, and have trouble walking. 

What about the guys? If a guy is about 170 pounds and drinks an equal amount of alcohol in the same amount of time, his estimated BAC would be about .07, almost half the BAC of the female in this scenario. In other words, one drink for the woman in this scenario has the same impact as two drinks for a man.

What accounts for this variation? There are several factors to consider:

  • First, there is the obvious size difference. By and large, guys have a bigger frame and build so the alcohol is diluted over a larger mass. 
  • Second, there are differences in body water content for men and women. The total body weight of a man is composed of 55-65% water and of a woman is 45-55% water; so alcohol is more diluted in men than in women.
  • Third, men have higher levels of an enzyme (gastric alcohol dyhydrogenase) that aids in the metabolism of alcohol.  Having more gastric alcohol dyhydrogenase enables men to more effectively break down alcohol in the stomach before it even reaches the blood stream and impacts BAC. 
  • Finally, hormonal changes in women affect BAC. Research has found that one week prior to menstruating, women maintain the peak degree of intoxication for longer periods of time than menstruating or post-menstruating women do. This same pattern of prolonged peak intoxication was also found among women using oral contraceptives. 

All of this means that women will experience greater impairment after drinking less alcohol than men. With that greater impairment comes an increased risk for harm, including hangovers, nausea and vomiting, memory loss and blackouts, and regretted behavior.

You can see how your own BAC would change based on size, gender and drink choices with an online BAC calculator. Then, consider the impact of BAC on your body and functioning.  

Women develop alcohol-related organ damage at lower levels of alcohol consumption and after a shorter history of heavy drinking than men.

Women’s organs appear to be more vulnerable to alcohol-induced damage then men’s. Alcoholic women develop cirrhosis of the liver, alcohol-induced damage to the heart muscle (i.e. cardiomyopathy), and nerve damage (i.e. peripheral neuropathy) after fewer years of heavy drinking than do alcoholic men. 

Talking about organ damage sounds awfully scary when thinking about typical college student drinking. But think about it. If women’s organs are at risk for damage from heavy drinking over shorter periods of time, four years of heavy college drinking may take a greater toll on a woman’s body than a man’s.

Alcohol affects sexual intent and aggression

It is impossible to talk about alcohol and not talk about sex. Meeting potential partners (from steady dates to one night “hook-ups”) is a big part of the drinking scene. That alcohol makes it easier for some to meet and talk to new people is seen as a positive by most people who drink alcohol. The down side is that, by some accounts, alcohol is involved in as many as 75% of sexual assaults on a college campus.  

The link between sexual aggression and alcohol use is multidimensional. Research tells us that women who are seen drinking alcohol are perceived to be more sexually available than they may actually be. Therefore, women can be targeted with unwanted attentions due to that misperception. One study found that, for women, the odds of experiencing sexual aggression were 9 times higher on days of heavy drinking compared to days when the women did not drink. Individuals who are even a little intoxicated are more likely to be victimized than those who are not drinking. Other research studies have shown that men who think they have been drinking alcohol—even when they have only consumed a placebo— feel sexually aroused and are more responsive to erotic stimuli, including rape scenarios. For some, being drunk serves as a justification for behavior that is demeaning or insulting, including the use of others as sexual objects.

It's important to take action to protect friends and others from potential assault or other regretted behavior as a result of drinking. Pay attention when you see a pal acting in inappropriate ways or about to take advantage in a drunken situation. Intervene when you are worried that an intoxicated individual may be making a choice that they could regret in the morning— or worse, making a choice the ends up hurting themselves or someone else.

For more information:

Learn about the "Smart Women" campaign, designed to address high-risk drinking among Cornell women.