Women and Kava: quick take

[Yogini]

So, I posted about kava on my FB page last night enquiring about people's experiences with it. Very few had experiences, all of them were curious and all 70 comments were from women. Not one man engaged in the conversation. I've noticed that men outweigh women here and on the subreddit. I absolutely pointed them toward this forum and also other very good sources of information. I'm the nerd friend you wish you had for most of them. I have my theories on this but I'm interested in hearing from you, man or woman. Why do you think women tend to steer away from the forums? I know we have women here and I know there are women on the subreddit but men are more prevalent. I did help a lot with the questions and concerns on my own page (yes I'm patting myself on the back ). What think you?

 

[Kojo Douglas]

Generally speaking? Probably because women expect to be harassed on forums or treated in a condescending way. I don't think they would experience that here but I think society has conditioned them to expect that.

 

[The Kap'n]

So, I posted about kava on my FB page last night enquiring about people's experiences with it. Very few had experiences, all of them were curious and all 70 comments were from women. Not one man engaged in the conversation. I've noticed that men outweigh women here and on the subreddit. I absolutely pointed them toward this forum and also other very good sources of information. I'm the nerd friend you wish you had for most of them. I have my theories on this but I'm interested in hearing from you, man or woman. Why do you think women tend to steer away from the forums? I know we have women here and I know there are women on the subreddit but men are more prevalent. I did help a lot with the questions and concerns on my own page (yes I'm patting myself on the back ). What think you?

Hey, I'm a nerd. Nerds unite!

Picking up from Kojo, kava drinking has customarily been something of a male oriented activity for eons. I figured it was something like that carrying over to the digital realm. I fully support all of humanity in their access to this plant and I would absolutely love to see more female members here at KF. Anxiety, stress, and insomnia are all equal opportunity destroyers. They don't give one flip about your gender.

 

[Groggy]

Generally speaking? Probably because women expect to be harassed on forums or treated in a condescending way. I don't think they would experience that here but I think society has conditioned them to expect that.

I think that's pretty accurate, although it would never be the case at KF.

 

[Yogini]

Generally speaking? Probably because women expect to be harassed on forums or treated in a condescending way. I don't think they would experience that here but I think society has conditioned them to expect that.

Yes, a lot of conditioning. I also think that they are afraid to draw boundaries in open forums. You can full stop someone and move past it. I also noticed on the other forum that it can seem like a frat house and that turned me off. I'm in my 40s. I don't need a frat house. I didn't go to them in my college days so I'm not going to a virtual one. I'm also a professional performer so it takes a LOT to offend me. I'm more comfortable in the company of men. That's been true most of my life. I have more male friends. So, hanging out with you guys is 2nd nature to me. I also see far more grown men here.

 

[Yogini]

Hey, I'm a nerd. Nerds unite!

Picking up from Kojo, kava drinking has customarily been something of a male oriented activity for eons. I figured it was something like that carrying over to the digital realm. I fully support all of humanity in their access to this plant and I would absolutely love to see more female members here at KF. Anxiety, stress, and insomnia are all equal opportunity destroyers. They don't give one flip about your gender.

Like I wrote to Kojo, I'm extremely comfortable in a 'man's world'. Most of my closest friends have been men. Also if you perform professionally, Like I do, boundaries are blurry although I'm good at drawing them. If i don't want your attention I'll flat out tell you and I will still be comfortable engaging with you after. Most of the women I know don't know about the history. It was almost as if there was a collective sigh of relief that I brought it up. I see an big opening. I'm interested in getting women more engaged.

 

[Yogini]

I think that's pretty accurate, although it would never be the case at KF.

You guys are grown men. That makes a difference. The way you communicate tells me that.

 

[Kiwivet]

I am wary of announcing I am female as I fear it will alter advice and attract harassment. I have been reading this forum and feel comfortable enough to be open about my gender as you guys seem pretty cool.

 

[OzKava]

I am wary of announcing I am female as I fear it will alter advice and attract harassment. I have been reading this forum and feel comfortable enough to be open about my gender as you guys seem pretty cool.

Kiwivet, I think you will find this is a very warm, welcoming place to discuss the wonder of kava.

 

[ThePiper]

I notice that the big vendors have been working on marketing it to a broader audience, and cleaning up its image, which has probably invited some more curious women. I imagine it being thought of as muddy and referred to as grog etc might limit female interest... My question is how many women continue to drink kava after trying it a couple of times? I know many women like kava, and there are plenty who drink it a lot, but my experience has aligned with the stereotype that women prefer things that aren't bitter are harsh. You could also consider that men are more likely to have problematic alcohol consumption than women which would lead them to seriously looking into kava.

 

[OzKava]

@Kiwivet
We have female customers and they tend to prefer (genuine) instant kava. It's quick, effective and much milder in taste compared to most medium grinds. I suggest you look at buying a small quantity instant. Judging by your name, your best and most convenient supplier would be the Kava Society of New Zealand. Try a session with 3g of instant in, say 150ml of water, every 15-20 minutes until you feel the kava coming to you. It is important to be receptive, so that means, not working, making dinner etc. For some people several sessions are needed to, in effect, switch on the relevant receptor. This is referred to as 'reverse tolerance'. The society can make recommendations on the kava that would best suit you, as well, of course can many members of this forum.

Kava preferences vary considerably from individual to individual. A kava that has little effect on you may send someone else into bliss and vice versa. There are many members of this forum who have given up on alcohol as a relaxant in favour of kava.

 

[Kiwivet]

I notice that the big vendors have been working on marketing it to a broader audience, and cleaning up its image, which has probably invited some more curious women. I imagine it being thought of as muddy and referred to as grog etc might limit female interest... My question is how many women continue to drink kava after trying it a couple of times? I know many women like kava, and there are plenty who drink it a lot, but my experience has aligned with the stereotype that women prefer things that aren't bitter are harsh. You could also consider that men are more likely to have problematic alcohol consumption than women which would lead them to seriously looking into kava.

I was very excited to find kava but was quickly disappointed in my reaction as I seem to be chasing a nonexistent buzz. I started to crave using Kava more than alcohol but I think it was my addictive brain wanting a high that never comes. That left me a little anxious and depressed

 

[Kiwivet]

@Kiwivet
We have female customers and they tend to prefer (genuine) instant kava. It's quick, effective and much milder in taste compared to most medium grinds. I suggest you look at buying a small quantity instant. Judging by your name, your best and most convenient supplier would be the Kava Society of New Zealand. Try a session with 3g of instant in, say 150ml of water, every 15-20 minutes until you feel the kava coming to you. It is important to be receptive, so that means, not working, making dinner etc. For some people several sessions are needed to, in effect, switch on the relevant receptor. This is referred to as 'reverse tolerance'. The society can make recommendations on the kava that would best suit you, as well, of course can many members of this forum.

Kava preferences vary considerably from individual to individual. A kava that has little effect on you may send someone else into bliss and vice versa. There are many members of this forum who have given up on alcohol as a relaxant in favour of kava.

I have ordered a few varieties online and very grateful for all the help here

 

[the_wilderness]

i'm F and been drinking traditional grind kava, mostly on the daily, for nearly a decade now. like you @Kiwivet i'm often frustrated by it and find myself chasing the dragon... but the benefits outweigh the cost; in the main, keeping me off the booze. For an addictive temperament, it's a farrrr less destructive indulgence and helps enormously with the cravings.

 

[Cassie]

@Kiwivet
We have female customers and they tend to prefer (genuine) instant kava. It's quick, effective and much milder in taste compared to most medium grinds. I suggest you look at buying a small quantity instant. Judging by your name, your best and most convenient supplier would be the Kava Society of New Zealand. Try a session with 3g of instant in, say 150ml of water, every 15-20 minutes until you feel the kava coming to you. It is important to be receptive, so that means, not working, making dinner etc. For some people several sessions are needed to, in effect, switch on the relevant receptor. This is referred to as 'reverse tolerance'. The society can make recommendations on the kava that would best suit you, as well, of course can many members of this forum.

Kava preferences vary considerably from individual to individual. A kava that has little effect on you may send someone else into bliss and vice versa. There are many members of this forum who have given up on alcohol as a relaxant in favour of kava.

That makes sense! I'm noticing opinions vary often sometimes. Lol that's good to know I know, it's amazing!!

 

[Zaphod]

So, I posted about kava on my FB page last night enquiring about people's experiences with it. Very few had experiences, all of them were curious and all 70 comments were from women. Not one man engaged in the conversation. I've noticed that men outweigh women here and on the subreddit. I absolutely pointed them toward this forum and also other very good sources of information. I'm the nerd friend you wish you had for most of them. I have my theories on this but I'm interested in hearing from you, man or woman. Why do you think women tend to steer away from the forums? I know we have women here and I know there are women on the subreddit but men are more prevalent. I did help a lot with the questions and concerns on my own page (yes I'm patting myself on the back ). What think you?

I think this is solely due to the way men and women use the internet and social media and not really a comment on the forum or kava in general. I find forums and places like reddit where "conversations" amongst anonymous or semi-anonymous people is mostly males. You could probably write a doctoral thesis on this but as others have pointed out females tend to get harassed a lot, but for most I think it is a lack of interest.
As a case in point - Mrs. Zaphod drinks kava daily with me. She has not once even considered coming on the forum to talk about her experiences. Just not her cup of tea. She does however spend the normal amount of adult addicting time on FB, Instagram, Tiktok etc. She just has no interest in longer form conversations that forums allow.

 

[JohnMichael]

I think this is solely due to the way men and women use the internet and social media and not really a comment on the forum or kava in general. I find forums and places like reddit where "conversations" amongst anonymous or semi-anonymous people is mostly males. You could probably write a doctoral thesis on this but as others have pointed out females tend to get harassed a lot, but for most I think it is a lack of interest.
As a case in point - Mrs. Zaphod drinks kava daily with me. She has not once even considered coming on the forum to talk about her experiences. Just not her cup of tea. She does however spend the normal amount of adult addicting time on FB, Instagram, Tiktok etc. She just has no interest in longer form conversations that forums allow.

Totally. Ditto meine frau. She will be imbibing the kelai cultivar with me this afternoon. And I show her forum posts. She's on social media as I type this...but no real interest in participating actively here.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

kava is such a beautiful feminine spirit....

 

[Mystic]

I never thought about it before. I,m a lady kava fan. I think if it was marketed more towards women, it would grow the female fans in no time.