Comment: Katie Mather
Sexism in Beer Following an outpouring online from people working in the beer sector worldwide who have suffered abuse and discrimination within the industry, Katie Mather asks what we can do to be better…
"When something shocking happens, your sense of self-preservation tells you to turn away. This primeval flight response has often been how the beer industry has dealt with accusations of sexism in the past — debate and denial raging against speakers of this unpalatable truth. The beer industry is not special, or especially good. Just like every other industry, it has problems to face, solutions to find and a better future to build. During the week of the 10th May 2021, a production manager from Notch Brewing in Salem, Massachusetts called Brienne Allan began sharing stories of sexual assault, sexism, racism, homophobia, harassment and abuse sent to her, mostly anonymously, via her Instagram account. Every single story was from the brewing industry, mostly from the US but occasionally widening to the UK and Europe. In a piece for Good Beer Hunting by Kate Bernot about the outpouring, Allan is quoted as saying: “People felt so comfortable to tell me whatever they wanted because they saw how anonymous it was. They’re like, ‘This is my trauma and I don’t really give a **** who knows about it now.’” In solidarity, and to raise awareness of similar problems within the beer industry in the UK, Edinburgh-based writer Siobhan Buchanan launched her own touchpoint via Instagram for people to anonymously share stories. This issue was no longer an “American” problem — if you had ever somehow believed it was. Voices were coming forward daily to talk about sexism in their workplaces, ranging from mistreatment and harassment to unfair dismissals. The result? Conversations on Radio 4’s Women’s Hour, thinkpieces like this one, and a few dismissals in extreme cases of assault and harassment over the Atlantic. But already the industry seems to be attempting to move on, and allowing it to do so without a clear vision of how we can all do better for our industry starting now, I know that nothing will change. Nobody will be better supported as a result. The outrage we felt over the past few weeks should not be allowed to burn itself out.
What Now?
What I found shocking about these shared anonymous stories was the sheer volume of them — and how many times I checked myself and thought, ah, yes. I have experienced this too, and brushed it off (or was told to brush it off), believing that this was just the way things were. That I had chosen to work within and around the beer world, and that to do so I would need to “loosen up”, change how I reacted to unwanted comments or advances, become more amenable. Quieten down. We want our industry to be a safe and supportive place for everyone to work in. The sad truth is that there is unacceptable behaviour being allowed to continue unchecked. This is not acceptable. I know that so many of you will agree. We want our industry to be a safe and supportive place for everyone to work in. The sad truth is that there is unacceptable behaviour being allowed to continue unchecked, either through a lack of confidence in knowing how to deal with such matters, or through ignorance, or even through acceptance. So how can we start to make a difference and create a supportive beer industry we’re all proud to be a part of ? Helen Smith, founder of Burum Collective, is at this moment pulling together an industryspecific meeting for individuals within the drinks industry to discuss how to move forward with purpose. The aim for the Common Ground Conference is to learn from where we are at, and to take our industry into the future mindfully and with the collective skills and preparedness to make it a better place to work for everyone within it.
cyclical nature of the issue — it resurfaces, we share our outrage, it’s swept under the carpet as other stories break, we carry on as before. “Unfortunately, there are always instances of pushback when people stand up for their rights...where groups of individuals say “hey, what about us? We’re also having a difficult time.” And these groups don’t see that if we demand better treatment for some people, things improve for us all.” So how can we do better? Simply put: it’s about accountability. “We all have platforms and power and we can use that to help someone else,” Helen says. “There’s a wealth of information on the internet we can all easily access to help us to draw up policies and guidelines for our businesses to make sure these issues are taken seriously and that our teams are protected.” Put your intentions down in writing and then live by them, be held accountable to them. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes — do what you feel is right and be prepared to make changes based on advice and guidance from consultants and perhaps more importantly, feedback from your own teams and your customers too. And know that while making these changes can feel difficult and can be met by some negativity and resistance, you are doing the right thing by your team, the industry as a whole, and for yourself."
For more information about the Common Ground Conference, visit Burumcollective.com Katie is a writer based in the Ribble Valley, and associate editor of Pellicle magazine. She also runs Corto, a craft beer, natural wine and natural cider bar in Clitheroe.
“We’re at a point now where we need to be more serious about it,” she says, echoing many, many voices expressing exhaustion at the www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Summer 2021
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