Gender roles and interactions in drinking and drug use.

In gender-focused discussions of alcohol and other drug use and problems, the emphasis has usually been on the individual male or female or on the genders as aggregates of individuals. But most drinking and much drug use have strong social and interactional elements, where gender roles and often gendered interactions come into play. Drawing on the existing literature, opportunities for research on gender roles and interactions in drinking and drug use and problems are discussed under the following headings: courtship and affectional preference; sexuality; marriage and partnership; parenthood; friendship and peer relations; work roles; informal social control (spouse, relatives, friends); and domination, violence, and abuse.