Ladies Night: Is the concept of Gender discrimination or just a harmless Marketing Strategy? What wrong did the men do here? An Overview and a Personal Opinion.
What is Ladies Night in Club?
Ladies Night has been a common promotion used by bars, clubs, and lounges for many years. The special night is aimed at attracting more female crowds by offering women-only discounts, freebies, entertainment, and other promotions. Despite some controversies, Ladies Night remains popular in many nightclubs today.
Personal Opinion – Perceived gender discrimination
Living in a world where every waking second is spent around people advocating equal rights, the thought has become something so deeply ingrained within me that even a slight anomaly seems to be a huge thing to my eyes. And it goes both ways: For women AND men!
Now, when I walked in through the security and straight into the club, he waited outside to pay the cover charges before he could join me in. How was I to feel about it? Pleased? Was my ego to be boosted? I did save a couple of hundred bucks, after all! But no! There goes my dysfunctional brain into its wayward thinking, quoting (almost screaming) the first out of the six Fundament Rights mentioned in our Constitution:
“Right to equality, including equality before law, prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, SEX or place of birth, and equality of opportunity in matters of employment, abolition of untouchability and abolition of titles”
What wrong did the men do here?
“Tch! Tch! Peace out, Ms. Feminist! It is just a marketing strategy!” chided a friend of mine but somehow, the thought never escaped my mind. It started a swirl. The kind which does not stop until it reached a conclusion. Hyper-feminism or not, it did feel wrong to me and that is all that matters.
A Marketing Strategy, right? The strategy of waiving cover charges and discounting drinks for women so as to pull more feminine crowd in which will, in turn, attract more men to the club! On extrapolation, more the men, more is the consumption and more the consumption, MERRIER is the Club Owner!
I get that and so does everyone but that just does not work for me. Even though it is a very justified point of view and seems to be pretty harmless, I just could not get over it. When I saw my friend pay seventeen hundred bucks for a night of fun whilst I got to strut in for free (just for being a girl), the word DISCRIMINATION rang in my ear.
And since the swirl in my head was almost unending, I googled to check if there were any existing laws regarding it and the major ones that popped up were in the US. It said that while the States of California, New York, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania declared that such promotions create ‘unlawful gender discrimination’ and do not uphold them, the States of Illinois, Minnesota and Washington did not disapprove of it, stating that the discount is intended to encourage women to attend the bar in greater numbers and not to show discrimination against men.
Even though I do see the idea behind each side of the argument, I do not find the latter to be very convincing. But then again, to each her own.
I may be over reacting, I don’t know but growing up with an older brother had its effect on me. We were raised equal. Our punishments were equal and so were our rewards. We had to do the same chores and were excused on the same grounds. There was nothing special and nobody treated us differently but then, not everything is that easy.
I am not a woman-hater because obviously, I am a woman and you can call me a party-pooper if you want to but that is not going to change my stance. Since I REALLY believe in the idea of equality and hope for it to come about soon, I consider this to be a major step towards it and not away from it. I believe that for everything we take, we need to give back as well! These are the subtle things that need to be changed to alter our subconscious, which will ultimately affect the bigger picture in the future.
Backlash and criticism
However, Ladies Night also garnered some backlash during this time from critics who felt drink specials promoted binge drinking and took advantage of women. Lawsuits also challenged Ladies Night discounts as gender discrimination.
How Ladies Night Works
The typical Ladies Night formula includes special discounts, promotions, entertainment, and themes aimed at appealing to women.
1. Special discounts and freebies for women
Free or discounted admission
On Ladies Night, women often get free or reduced admission to bars, clubs, and lounges. This could be free cover charges or reduced door fees.
Free or discounted drinks
Drink specials like free champagne, free cocktails, and happy hour drink prices are a signature part of most Ladies Nights. These specials apply to female patrons only.
2. Promotions to attract women
Advertising and marketing
Venues promote Ladies Night through flyers, social media, email blasts, and other advertising specifically targeting female customers.
Entertainment and themes
Bars and clubs will book live music, DJs, dancing, karaoke, trivia games, male revues, and other entertainment to make Ladies Night more fun and festive. Themes like Divas Night, Office Hoes Night, or Singles Night are also common.
3. Benefits of Ladies Night
When done right, Ladies Night can be beneficial for both venues and their female patrons.
Increased revenue and profits for venues
The goal of Ladies Night is to bring in more customers, especially women. More volume means more sales, so venues can see larger revenue and profits.
Provides a fun night out for female gatherings
Ladies Night gives women an opportunity to go out, socialize, dance, drink, and have fun in a lively atmosphere. The special promotions offer them value as well.
Conclusion
For over many years, Ladies Night has been a fixture for bars and nightclubs in attracting female patrons with special discounts, promotions, and entertainment. Despite valid criticisms of gender discrimination and overdrinking, Ladies Night endures today. As cultural values continue shifting, Ladies Night is also shifting to become more gender-inclusive and provide safe, responsible fun. The key for venues is focusing on the overall experience rather than just discounted drinks. Ultimately, Ladies Night or any night should celebrate and value all customers.
FAQs
1. What is the purpose of Ladies Night?
The purpose of Ladies Night is to attract more female customers to bars, clubs, and lounges. Venues offer women-only discounts and promotions as an incentive. More women results in more men and alcohol sales.
2. When did Ladies Night start?
Ladies Night originated back in the 1970s as venues sought ways to boost female attendance in male-dominated bars and nightclubs. Ladies Nights grew very popular through the 1980s and 1990s.
3. Are Ladies Nights discriminatory?
Some argue that ladies-only promotions discriminate against male patrons. Ladies Nights have faced lawsuits regarding gender discrimination in certain states. Some venues now offer discounts for everyone.
4. Are drinks really free for women?
The “free” drinks on Ladies Night typically just mean discounted drink prices for women, though some venues do offer complimentary drinks. However, there is often a limit, or the specials are only for certain drinks.
5. Are Ladies Nights safe?
There are valid concerns about Ladies Night drink specials promoting over-intoxication and binge drinking. Ensuring adequate security and preventing drink spiking are important for venues.
