Gender Rules: Differences in Male and Female First-Year Undergraduate Adherence to Campus Alcohol Policy

Although differences in both men\u27s and women\u27s risk-taking and alcohol consumption have been respectively examined in previous research, the relationship between the two has not been thoroughly documented. While there have been studies on differences between male and female drinking habits, including those on amount and frequency of consumption, as well as studies documenting how women felt about both risk-taking and gender differences in morality, these factors are rarely, if ever, expressly linked. The current study aims to test past research regarding women\u27s traditional hesitation towards engaging in risky behavior and rebelling against policy through the study of behavioral outcomes (alcohol consumption) and perception of authority (alcohol policy). The participants in the current study comprise a sample of 534 University of Mississippi first-year undergraduate students (40.4% male, 59.6% female) recruited via a convenience sample of 35 out of 123 available EDHE Freshmen Year Experience classes being conducted in Fall 2015. The results of this examination revealed that there are significant differences between men\u27s and women\u27s overall consumption patterns of alcohol and found a significant relationship between gender and adherence to and perception of alcohol policy