differenceblog, posts by tag: harris interactive - LiveJournal

As we've discussed before, women (in general) tend to take more time out of work than men. However, there is at least one reason why men may be more likely to call in sick than women. A new survey by Harris Interactive (2008) found that men were more likely (11% to 5%) to call in sick in order to (or as a result of) watching a sporting event.

The survey found several other gender differences in sports dedication as it relates to the workplace: men were also more likely to have watched a sporting event from the office on their work computers (33% to 19%). Men were more likely to participate in office betting pools (51% to 36%) and less likely to name camaradarie as the top reason for doing so (39% to 53%). Men and women listed the money as their top reason for participating 38% and 33% of the time, respectively.

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My office hasn't ever had a sports betting pool. *sulk* My top reason for participating would depend on the sport, honestly. If it was a hockey pool (not likely to happen), I'd be participating in order to show off my hockey knowledge - or at least my ability to read other people's hockey knowledge. The Harris Interactive Survey was timed to coincide with the beginning of March Madness pools, and I'd only participate in one of those out of camaradarie, as I actually have negative interest in college basketball.

A new survey conducted by Harris Interactive (2007) that men and women are equally likely to drink wine (63% and 61%), but that women were more likely than men to feel uncomfortable making wine choices. The survey, commissioned by Robert Mondavi Private Selection, found the biggest gaps in wine attitudes by age, not by sex. Most of those surveyed (69%) expressed that they wanted to know more about wine. Women expressed more discomfort about choosing a wine from a wine list, pairing wines with food, or interacting with a waiter when selecting wine. Women were also less likely to have sent back a bottle of wine after tasting it (17% to 10%). Barber et al (2006) also found that women expressed more concern about making a good wine choice than men. Barber suggests that self-confidence is the predicting factor in wine anxiety.

It is important to note that although men and women drink wine with roughly equal frequency, this is the only alcoholic beverage for which this is true; men are more likely to drink beer or spirits than women (e.g. Chomak & Collins, 1987). Although the gap in men's and women's drinking rates seems to be narrowing ("Girl Drinks", 10/3/06), a woman who drinks is far more likely to drink wine than a man who drinks.

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Excuse me for a moment of unsurprise. Women expressed more anxiety over making a choice? Women seemed to have less self-confidence? Wine selection is built up into this weird cultural juggernaut, where confidence is pretty much the name of the game. We've had multiple discussions over the tendency of women to have less confidence than men, and I don't know if any of your have tripped over a solution yet. I certainly haven't. However, I do think I have some insight into the illogic that makes women (or anyone with low self-confidence) uncomfortable dealing with the boggling selection available on most wine lists.

I've never sent back a bottle of wine. I've only sent back anything at a restaurant once, a mixed drink, last month. Mojitos are supposed to be sweet. And now I feel really self-conscious about admitting I ordered a Mojito. As Brian said in Family Guy, "what? it's not a gay drink!" It was bad enough ordering a Mojito in front of all my friends (yeah, I'm not particularly secure in my masculinity. would you be?) . It was even more embarrassing sending it back, because I felt like that set me up as some sort of expert on Mojitos. In fact, I wouldn't have sent it back, except for the conflicting presence of a (male) friend of mine who is a big proponent of sending things back. He wouldn't have let me off the hook if I hadn't.