Bartenders have risk of poor family life

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Washington: A recent study revealed that bartenders or people mixing drinks at eateries may not have a typical family life.

Researchers at the American Sociological Association interviewed 40 bartenders from New Orleans and named the study, ‘Barkeeps and Barmaids on the White Picket Fence: Bartenders, Gender, and Performative Adulthood’.

The study examines the relationship between bartenders and their perceptions of successful adulthood through access to romantic relationships and parenthood. It finds that bartenders perceive their lack of legitimate work to be the main barrier in achieving such normalcy.

“It’s about how bartenders in the New Orleans area feel that their jobs preclude them from achieving the ‘normal’ benchmarks of adult life like long-term intimate relationships and family life. Because bartenders feel like their jobs are not legitimate, they perceive that the other dimensions of normative adult life are not attainable or even desirable,” said researcher Starr.

Participants in the study are aged from 23 to 48 and have been working as bartenders since 2013. Most of the participants were white, with some being black, Latino, Asian, and bi-racial.

Major chunk of the study deals with the hardships of working in the bartending field, which offers little job security, low wages, and few, if any, benefits such as health insurance or a retirement plan.

The study will be presented at the 111th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association.