Drinking for wages: alcohol use among cantineras.

Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading   Processing Request
Read More Add to Saved list
  • Author(s): Fernández-Esquer ME;Fernández-Esquer ME
  • Source:
    Journal of studies on alcohol [J Stud Alcohol] 2003 Mar; Vol. 64 (2), pp. 160-6.
  • Publication Type:
    Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
  • Language:
    English
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Rutgers University. Center of Alcohol Studies Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 7503813 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 0096-882X (Print) Linking ISSN: 0096882X NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Stud Alcohol Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: New Brunswick, NJ : Rutgers University. Center of Alcohol Studies
      Original Publication: New Brunswick, N.J. : Journal of Studies on Alcohol
    • Subject Terms:
      Restaurants* ; Salaries and Fringe Benefits* ; Workplace*; Alcohol Drinking/*epidemiology ; Hispanic or Latino/*statistics & numerical data ; Occupational Diseases/*epidemiology; Adaptation, Psychological ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Texas/epidemiology
    • Abstract:
      Objective: This study reports on patterns of alcohol use among cantineras: recently immigrated Latina women who make a living drinking in working class Latino bars (cantinas).
      Method: Women working in 10 cantinas in a Latino neighborhood participated in a semistructured interview that included questions about their personal background and current working conditions. Twenty-one participants were interviewed at their home or place of work.
      Results: Drinking is a duty required of women who work in cantinas, and the conditions in which alcohol is consumed varies by the type of job they perform. Cantineras establish drinking habits and routines to maximize profits and maintain their jobs, while adopting coping strategies to minimize adverse health consequences.
      Conclusions: The drinking behavior of cantineras presents a paradox. To make a living, they need to become efficient drinkers who profit from their behavior. At the same time, they need to recognize and set limits to their drinking. The norms of cantineras distinguish drinking as duty from drinking for recreation, and they recognize problem drinking. The heavy health burden imposed by obligatory drinking at work is the result of limited job opportunities and the marginality experienced by Latina immigrants who must find ways to cope with the pressures they endure as poor women.
    • Grant Information:
      R29-CA-68113 United States CA NCI NIH HHS; T26-SP-08352 United States SP CSAP SAMHSA HHS
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20030426 Date Completed: 20030820 Latest Revision: 20211203
    • Publication Date:
      20240829
    • Accession Number:
      10.15288/jsa.2003.64.160
    • Accession Number:
      12713188