The Cocktail Waitress: Woman's Work in a Man's World

by James P. Spradley, Brenda J. Mann, Brenda E. Mann

Book Overview

A 1975 classic, this highly readable, in-depth study examines a familiar female role in contemporary American society. The authors apply fieldwork methods to the study of social behavior in a college... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0075547643
• ISBN13: 9780075547648
• Release Date: January 1975
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Langua
• Length: 154 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.2" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Dose of Reality

If you have ever patronized a bar or been a bartender or waitress, you will connect with The Cocktail Waitress. In spite of this book's being the result of scholarly research, it is as readable as a novel. Spradley and his associates observe what occurs in a bar near a college, describing the culture established in the bar. Most readers can identify with at least one of the characters as the hierarchy of roles comes into play. The bartenders (male) are the ostensible dominant figures, and the cocktail waitresses have to act within the unwritten rules that the baartenders establish. I have spoken with several cocktail waitresses currently working at college bars near my college. They assure me that little has changed in the twenty-odd years since the study was completed and today. An enjoyable and informative read!