UK: Well-educated women twice as likely to be problem drinkers

A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has revealed that professional women in the UK are twice as likely to be heavy drinkers.

According to the report, better-educated women in the UK tend to more likely fall into the trap of heavy drinking in comparison to women from other countries who have been equally educated.

One in ten women from lower education background tend to be heavy drinkers as compared to one in five women who have attended university in England, reported The Telegraph.

Referring to the trends as "the dark side of equality", Mark Pearson, OECD head of health, said: "You have seen women moving to areas which were traditionally male and were traditionally drinking professions.

"As women have moved in to those professions they have adopted the patterns that were there for men."

Pearson cited the financial sector as one such industry where women are often seen matching their male counterparts' drinking habits.

"Women with higher education may have better-paid jobs involving higher degrees of responsibility and thus may drink more heavily because they have more stress as well as more chances to go out drinking with male colleagues with higher limits of drinking," according to the report.

The bulk of the drinking was noted to take place at home "hidden from public view" and amongst women aged between 45 to 64.

Wine was cited as the most consumed alcoholic beverage.

Meanwhile, male-drinking habits were found to vary very little across men from different education and social status backgrounds.