The extremes of sexism in the wine industry

Recently, two articles appeared online that highlight the two extremes of inequality between males and females, in the wine industry. I live in a country (Sweden) that tries very hard to be as equal as possible, all the time, and it is usually rated as being very successful at this; so this issue does matter to me.

Let’s start with the good article:

Bulgaria’s wine revolution: from communist giant to indigenous champion

The article has a lot of information about the current situation in the Bulgarian wine industry. In particular, there is a whole section on “Women Leading the Revolution”. Consider this quote:

One unexpected aspect of Bulgaria’s wine renaissance is the prominence of women in professional winemaking roles. Bulgaria may be the only European country where women make up roughly half or more of all professional oenologists.

So, most of the recent (post-communist) jobs have been taken by women; more power to them! This is the way it should be.

Sadly, Eurostat reports Bulgaria as being second-last within the European Union in the assessment of “Independence of the justice system” as perceived by the general public; but presumably they can get this up to the same exemplary level.

Now let’s turn to the more depressing wine article, at the other extreme. It is particularly depressing for me, because Australia is where I grew up, and first learned to appreciate wine. The title says it all:

Sexism, harassment and inflexibility drive women out of winemaking, survey reveals

The article summary is:

Charles Sturt University [in Australia] has carried out a nationwide study into gender equity in the wine industry. The main factors contributing to women leaving the industry were identified including sexism, discrimination and a lack of flexibility ... Warning: This story contains details of sexual assault and language some readers may find distressing.

So, I won't quote any of the stories, but simply let you read the article for yourself. Instead, I will turn to something a bit better, later in the same article:

As a result of the study, a free toolkit has been released for the wine industry, providing practical steps to get businesses thinking about gender equity.

So long as they do a bit more than just think, but act as well, then this is the right direction.

 

Asides: There will be a Historic Apology to the First Nations People (sometimes known as Aboriginals) from the state government of Victoria; now the other Australian states must follow suit. The national ban on children accessing social media until they turn 16 seems to be of more doubtful effectiveness.