Introduction: Gendering Socio Cultural Alcohol and Drug Research

Aim: The gender gap in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm still is considerable and largely unexplained. This paper introduces four studies performed in Sweden that explore factors influencing gender differences in levels of consumption, adverse consequences and treatment.

Method: We summarize and discuss these four studies performed within the same cultural setting, which each analyse interaction with the gender.

Results: Two studies focus on the individual level addressing criminal behaviour, alcohol problems and mortality, and gender identity and alcohol problems in women taking psychiatric co-morbidity into account. Two studies focus on the institutional and cultural levels addressing the handling of alcohol-related problems in primary healthcare and the effectiveness of using cultural analysis in identifying gender concerns for women.

Conclusion: Future studies need to focus more on these complex associations to secure that treatment settings provide both genders with fair and adequate treatment of high quality and that prevention activities will start to test measures that take gender into consideration.