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70% of women in whisky face harassment survey finds

Conducted in July 2023 by the OurWhisky Foundation, a non-profit supporting women in the global whisky industry, the survey was shared among members of the Scotch Whisky Association, English Whisky Guild, Kentucky Distillers Association and American Craft Spirits Association.

The report has highlighted the real-world consequences of negative stereotyping around whisky, with 89% of respondents working in consumer-facing roles saying they had been spoken over or had their knowledge questioned while conducting a tasting.

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Among its key findings, the survey found that 70% of all respondents said they’d experienced inappropriate or sexual remarks while doing their job, while 33% have been inappropriately touched. This figure rose to 44% among those working in consumer-facing roles (eg brand ambassadors, retail and hospitality).

Furthermore, a significant number of respondents felt undermined in the workplace, with 80% of women making, selling and promoting whisky reporting being asked by both colleagues and consumers if they even like the spirit, whilst a staggering 89% agreed that consumers still widely perceive whisky to be a man’s drink.

Unsurprisingly, two-thirds of respondents said this masculine reputation made their jobs more challenging. However, just 16% felt that the industry was doing enough to change that perception.

Meanwhile, just 16% of respondents felt women were fairly represented in whisky advertising and promotion.

Becky Paskin, founder of the OurWhisky Foundation, said: “Being spoken over, having your knowledge questioned or being asked if you actually like whisky are common occurrences for women working in whisky. These are surface-level yet widespread examples of unconscious bias manifesting as micro-aggressions – the ongoing effect of decades of male-targeted advertising.

“While the industry appears to be taking steps towards inclusion and better representation, this survey clearly shows women feel they aren’t supported enough. It’s important to realise that while it’s perhaps easy to shrug off a solo incident, these micro-aggressions build up over time to have a devastating impact on the women in our industry.

“The escalation of these attitudes into inappropriate verbal and physical behaviour cannot be ignored. The industry needs to take this issue extremely seriously.” 

In response to these concerning findings, the OurWhisky Foundation identified several key areas businesses must focus on to tackle sexism in the industry, such as improving the representation of women in advertising and marketing, implementing bystander training and clear anti-harassment policies.

• OurWhisky Foundation
• Women in whisky