Expert Topic DEI: Closing the Gender Gap in Beer – an Interview with Deborah Brenner of Women of the Vine & Spirits

There are a lot of conversations that focus on closing the gender gap in the beer industry and actionable steps have been made in recent years, but more work needs to be done. It is not as simple as simply offering jobs to women. There are rooted problems in the beer industry that need to be addressed to make companies responsible employers and to set a culture that fosters inclusivity.

Beer Edge editor John Holl spoke with Deborah Brenner, founder & CEO of Women of the Vine & Spirits about initiatives and actions companies in the beverage alcohol industry can take to be more inclusive and responsible.

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John Holl: When it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion where should the conversation start?

Deborah Brenner: When we talk about diversity, equity and inclusion, workplace harassment is one of the biggest things that has to be discussed if you want truly a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace culture.

Because it’s not just sexual harassment, it’s bullying, it’s name shaming, it’s name calling. It’s cultural harassment.

I remember a chat with a group of our Island Pacific members and one of the women said that she [was at work] and there was a new product, like a new socket. And she walked into a conference room and all the guys were joking, and they were making fun of the name in Chinese accent. And she walked in, and she’s Asian. And they said, “Oh, you’re not really Asian”, because she’s American.

It’s those kinds of things that she said were incredibly uncomfortable.

JH: So it’s not just about being diverse but understanding diversity and proper ways to speak and act.

DB: Right. When we talk about DEI we have to talk about harassment. Because with microaggressions [women and minorities] will never bring their true selves to work and you won’t get that diversity of thought that brings business and creativity and that helps a business be competitive and contribute to a greater bottom line.

JH: It sounds like these changes have to happen from the top down?

DB: As a CEO OR as a senior leader, if you want to crush the competition, and you want to be very profitable, then you have to look at DEI. But you’re never going to get there if you don’t look at your culture. And you got to look at harassment.

JH: If this is not addressed what are some short- or long-term impacts?

DB: You’re not going to have these incredible smart women contributing to your industry. If you don’t [address] sexual harassment, they’re not going to work there. The fact is that your consumer base is diverse, and your consumers are women. So there’s no way you’re going to appeal to them if you have all white men in leadership.

JH: Have you seen any progress?

DB: There’s the other thing that I think people need to understand when we talk about this is that [women pushing for DEI in beverage alcohol] have been doing this with our male allies. The men that I speak to, they want to be involved in stopping sexual harassment, workplace harassment, just as much as women. They don’t want to be lumped in as “those guys” because they have daughters, wives moms and so it’s a really strong issue for a lot of men. I think that, you know, we cannot forget the men that are championing these causes. Because we are going to be doing this together.

There are some people with bad behavior. And in reality women and men allies want to stop that because it’s not good for anybody.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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