Silly Boys, Bartending is for Women | Part II

Thyme to Chat

Two drinks in for part two of this conversation about women bartenders!

Kamea shares some takeaways from her research on the legal history of female bartending, and Rose mixes another zesty cocktail for the table.

Listen now for more personal stories, history, and tips on making cocktails at home.

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Protection of the Patriarchy

Reflecting on women’s relationship to bartending we see a continued fight for equal rights. Both for the opportunity to serve, but also to patron public drinking establishments. Turning to Britain we can read up on the “Barmaid Problem” as women attempted to create careers in Victorian hospitality. This attitude of a grave social problem is echoed in the United States and starts to boil over in the 1940s with renewed smear campaigns against female bartenders.

In 1948, Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote an opinion on behalf of the Supreme Court that affirmed the decision to only allow women to bartend if the establishment was owned by her husband or father. The ruling on Goesaert v. Cleary was to protect women from morally corrupt work environments. This was not overturned until the 1976 case Craig v. Boren. Here young RBG made discrimination on the basis of sex (language used in the passing of title nine just four years prior) a man's problem. For more on his groundbreaking case tune in to this episode of RadioLab.

She Persisted

Women have been trailblazing behind the bar for years. Some notable names include Ada Coleman, who is most well-known for creating her signature cocktail the Hanky Panky. In 1903, she was the first (and only) woman to be awarded the position of head bartender at The Savoy. She held this position for 23 years. Less well known is Marcy Skowronski, who made her bar a free the titties zone and was a bartender until she was 92 years old! Today women make up a large percentage of bartenders in the United States but are still navigating social dynamics that impact their work opportunities.

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