Visiting a pub alone as a woman. Yes or No?

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Home or away, is it okay and socially acceptable, or not?

Acceptable yes, enjoyable depends on the pub.

Yes of course! It's not 1960. I wouldn't go out drinking all evening alone, but I regularly go food and a drink or two when dp is away, plenty of others do the same, I swear there are men that never cook and use our local Wetherspoons as a canteen!

Def. acceptable. I find it a bit uncomfortable though, I needed to sit down and book something on my phone so went into a central London pub at lunchtime and another time was busting for the loo so stopped at a random pub on the A303.

Acceptable, though I wouldn't choose to do it myself. If I'm shopping and hungry/want to sit down I'd go to a cafe. I see pubs more as socialising places.

Why wouldn't you?

No reason why not.

It would depend on the pub for me but that's not because I'm a woman but because I don't like really busy... and places like Wetherspoons that are vast etc

An interesting mix of replies. Local pub is a darts and snooker/sports, weekend entertainment type venue. There's more than one pub in my area though. Just looking to get out and socialise more. I do have other things that I take part in in the community, but do enjoy chatting, dancing and having drink out. There seem to be very few women (friends) my age who are into the same things as I am/want to go.

I suppose it depends what you want, but I don’t think going to a pub is likely to lead to friendships.

Why wouldn't it be ok? I've done it many times.

I’m not sure you’d be dancing in a darts and snooker place. If you want to go and hang out go.

I'd assumed you meant just popping in for a quick drink or lunch, rather than a full on night out.

Have you tried meet up? They tend to arrange group nights out which would be easier than rocking up on your own and trying to join in I think. I only live in a small town and there are several meet up groups locally that go to pubs when there's a band on (as well as for meals/walks etc)

Two snooker tables, darts board. Weekend gigs where there may be live music, dancing or karaoke.

We can pretend all we like but the reality is a woman going by herself into a pub in the evening and ordering an alcoholic drink will get asked if she's waiting for someone and if she says no she will get funny looks and it will be noticed. Or it'll just be assumed she's waiting for a bloke and if one doesn't show up it'll be assumed she's been stood up

@IncompleteSenten I don’t recognise your description of this situation at all. I am not ‘pretending’ or wishing it was ok for women to sit in a pub in their own, I honestly know for certain that nobody would notice or care if a woman sat in a pub on her own where I live. But I live in Northern Europe in 2023. Perhaps you live somewhere totally different.

😂. I am not from the past, don't worry.

When looking at something 'societal' we have to look beyond our own beliefs and how we think things should be and even beyond our own often limited personal experience.

Is it right? No. Is it true? Yes. Does not liking that it's true mean it's not true? No.

More women feel restricted than not. More women feel unsafe in certain situations than not. More women feel judged if they engage in certain activities than not. We can't change something if we refuse to see it exists.

If that's not your personal experience then that's great, I'm genuinely happy for you. If you live in an area where not one single person living there or visiting there would even be aware when a lone woman walks into a spit and sawdust pub and wouldn't think it unusual or assume she was waiting for someone because they don't really see women drinking in pubs alone then fab. But you need to see beyond your personal experience.

Of course you can go to the pub on your own. The bigger issue is whether or not some arse in the pub sees a lone woman as some kind of invitation to approach her and tall bollocks when all she wants to do enjoy her glass of wine in peace.

@IncompleteSenten
*When looking at something 'societal' we have to look beyond our own beliefs and how we think things should be and even beyond our own often limited personal experience.

Is it right? No. Is it true? Yes. Does not liking that it's true mean it's not true? No*

I totally get this @IncompleteSenten and often think about it when on MN because of the many threads on here about class where someone comes on and says there is no such thing as class and if you think there is you must be living in the last century. Noticing class behaviour is not at all the same as saying you condone the class system. Whether or not you like it, it still exists.

BUT, honestly I really don’t think that anyone were I live would think anything at all about a woman on her own in a pub. Maybe it’s because the pubs around here are not male dominated

Depends on the type of pub…as for whether or not it’s socially acceptable I can’t say it’s ever crossed my mind!

Personally dislike pubs, alone or otherwise. If you want to though, why not?

Of course it's okay and socially acceptable. You even asking this question makes me feel very sad for women, and makes me despair at all the limiting judgments made about us. Even still now in the twenty first century 😥

Speak for yourself. A lot of my friends were people I met in the pub.

What have I just read???!! 🤯

Since DS started a new activity, I've started a habit of going to a nearby pub to focus on reading a book for 50 mins with little distraction rather than wasting time to drive home and spend 30 mins in the house. It's a locals type traditional pub, working class area, and it's nice going there on a quiet time slot.

The first time I got drunk in the late 90s, I was telling the halls cleaner about the next day. She was horrified that two young girls had blundered their way into that particular pub on the estate, and scandalised that we'd been in the bar not the lounge 😂 It did explain why we got a fair bit of attention in there, but it was curious and friendly, not lechy or intimidating.

I'd say give it a go! What's the worst that can happen? Everyone might ignore you and you go home. But you never know you might end up making some friends.

Quite often have a pint stop if I have to brave shopping in town

Eh? Why are you even asking? Very odd.