Female Drug Use in the Ethnographic Record: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Presence, Variation, and Cultural Context

Note

Supported across all world regions and subsistence economies with variation in magnitude: 1) large male-female gaps in South America, North America, and parts of Oceania parallel documented systems of male ritual authority; 2) smaller gaps in Asia with female consumption of mild stimulants; 3) parts of Europe and the Middle East had limited drug use overall showing muted gender differences. Male drug use is more often embedded in public, ritual, and economically salient activities that vary systematically across subsistence systems. Female drug use often occurs in domestic or caregiving contexts that may be less sensitive to subsistence systems.