Feminist Ferment: Women Brewing Change in Texas

Craft brewers tend to be very involved in their communities through philanthropy, product donations, volunteerism and sponsorship of events. The U.S. beer industry has seen a reemergence of women as consumers and producers, bringing gender advocacy to the forefront. Nationally, breweries advocate for social issues more than environmental issues, and gender advocacy falls lower on this list. This study looks at how breweries in the Southwest do advocacy, deep diving into female empowerment, equity, and inclusivity. Gender advocacy was gauged based on the presence of women (if at all), the roles they fill in the brewery, how they posed for photos, and the relationship between label design, beer names, and beer styles. Analysis indicates that male and female owned breweries built differently gendered environments. Moreover, despite an overall scarcity, there are some breweries in the Southwest that support female empowerment, equity, and inclusivity. 

Delorean Wiley’s journey at Texas State University started in Spring 2018 as a Sustainability Studies graduate student. She knew upon entering the program that she wanted to upcycle brewers spent grain into a baking mix for human consumption. Upon completing the degree program, her project was selected as People's Choice winner for the 2018 Microsoft Community Impact Competition, winner of the 2019 Innovation Lab Pitch Competition, and a finalist in the Three Minute Thesis Competition. In 2020, two of her co-authored papers examining the use of crowdsourced data for beer geography research were published.

Currently, Delorean’s research is aimed at advocacy in the craft beer industry. Specifically, she is interested in the current landscape of gender equity and empowerment. The unique role craft breweries play in acting as a catalyst for change is interesting to her. It also provides an opportunity to discuss areas of improvement for the industry. Away from academia Delorean is a wife, mother, and a weekly volunteer with high school students.