The Gendered Labour of Craft Beer: One of the Boys?
(forthcoming, Routledge Press)
ABOUT THE BOOK
For the past four years I’ve been researching the gendered labour of craft brewing to understand how women navigate this male-dominated industry. Since 2016 I’ve interviewed over 50 women working in various aspects of craft beer around New Zealand, Australia and the US, have observed countless of craft beer-related events, attended the Pink Boots 10th Anniversary conference, delivered a series of national talks on the state of women in brewing (‘No Such Thing as a Girls Beer’), and have even recently brewed my own beer (a surprisingly perfect coconut coffee stout!).
The book aims to do what culture is now doing for me in the wake of what many are calling the craft beer industry’s “#MeToo Moment” — to tell the story of women navigating a male-dominated industry, and to find solutions for making craft beer a more diverse and inclusive space.
SPEAKING
11 August 2021 (time TBD)
Road to Beervana
Garage Project Wild Workshop
7 Marion Street, Te Aro, Wellington
INDUSTRY DATA
There is currently no demographic data collected about the craft beer industries in New Zealand or Australia. In order to get an understanding of what the brewing side of craft beer looks like, I’ve manually collected and coded this information myself. With the help of two research assistants, we draft a list of all NZ and Australian craft beer companies and coded the gender identity of the owners and brewer-in-charge (head brewer, master brewer, etc). This information is constantly changing; I invite anyone with an interest to look over the datasets and comment on inaccuracies, updates, additions or changes to help ensure accuracy, as I don’t have the resources to DIY on a regular basis. Maintaining this database also allows us to track how (of if!) the industry evolves over the next few years as diversity and inclusion becomes a bigger part of the conversation.
GET IN TOUCH
If you’d like to participate in this project in any capacity, please get in touch! Fieldwork (interviews, observations, other data collection) is still ongoing. If you identify as a woman or non-binary person in craft brewing and want to share your story and/or want to participate regardless of your gender identity then please reach out…especially if you’d like to consult on how you can make your workplace a more inclusive, diverse space.
I’m always available for collaborations, consulting, workshops and talks (worldwide) so if you want to chat about craft beer, labour, diversifying the workplace, how to be more than an ally, what makes a good stout, an appropriate dill pickle or anything else, I’m your person!
RECENT WRITING
Where the Ladies At?
Pursuit of Hoppiness
August 2021
One of the blokes?
Journal of Consumer Culture
July 2021
Kathleen M. Kuehn 