Gender and alcohol use among Puerto Ricans in the New York metropolitan area: The role of acculturation and gender specific drinking norms

Using data from a 1990–91 Survey of Drinking Behavior, the present study focuses on gender differences in adult utilizing the Sociocultural Model, in which drinking norms are considered guidelines for alcohol use and together with sociodemographic and other cultural characteristics influence individual\u27s alcohol use. Indicators of drinking versus abstaining behavior, include education, employment status, and gender specific normative permissiveness. Respondents with higher education and those employed are more likely to drink with those in blue collar/services occupation being slightly more likely to drink than those in white collar occupations. As expected, respondents with more permissiveness male or female drinking norms are more likely to drink. On the other hand, once we controlled for education and occupation, acculturation does not significantly change the explained variation of drinking versus abstaining. The gender difference in drinking versus abstaining behavior persisted even after we controlled for the sociodemographic variables, acculturation and drinking norms. Among drinkers, the indicators for both frequency and quantity include education, marital status, and gender specific normative permissiveness. Respondents with higher education drink less frequently and consume less alcohol per occasion. Married respondents drink less frequently and consume lower quantities of alcohol per occasion than those never married. But the gender difference in drinking frequency and quantity actually increases when controlling for marital status. Since married persons drink less frequently and in lower quantities than those disrupted or never married, and men in the sample are more likely to be married, men should drink less frequently and in lower quantities. Actually they drink more frequently and consume more alcohol. Respondents with more permissive male or female drinking norms drink more frequently and consume higher quantities of alcohol per occasion. In addition, support was found for a nonlineal model or the Acculturation Stress Theory, for the relationship of acculturation and both drinking frequency and quantity of drinks per occasion. Policy implications of the analysis for drinking behavior are discussed