Women make up the majority of patrons and staff at NSW pubs new report reveals

The days of the pub being a man’s domain are over, with women now making up the majority of patrons in NSW, a new report has revealed.

Women have gone from the ladies lounge to the front bar, making up more than half of the 3.1 million people who visited NSW pubs in the past three months.

Patrons are more likely to be served by women then men behind the bar, with female staff accounting for 56 per cent of the 44,700 people directly employed at NSW pubs.

The Central Coast and western Sydney had the most female pub patrons past three months, according to Roy Morgan data compiled for the Australian Hotels Association’s NSW branch.

The Central Coast was the place with the highest percentage of female patrons (55 per cent), followed by northwest Sydney (54 per cent), southwest Sydney (53 per cent), and Outer Western Sydney (53 per cent).

A separate report from Deloitte prepared for AHA NSW found that pubs pumped $4.6 billion into the NSW economy in 2023.

Women – like Elli Panagis, Sian Williams, Abby McConnell and Lauren Malone – are now more likely than men to be in front of the bar, and behind it. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Despite a trend in people drinking less, pubs’ revenue increased by 29 per cent in 2023.

Most of pubs’ $9.7b in revenue was made from food and beverage sales (43 per cent), and 40 per cent was from poker machines.

The Deloitte report found that pubs were adapting to change by offering better quality food and beverage options, which has “ensured sustained revenue in the presence of a growing foodie culture and increasingly quality-conscious consumers.”

How the front bar used to look.

Almost half of AHA members are concerned about labour costs and government regulations, which are the two biggest areas of concern for publicans.

Lauren Malone says Sydney’s pubs are “as good as the ones back home in Ireland, while Abby McConnell enjoys a cocktail and a bite to eat with the girls. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Men drinking beer outside the Balaclava Hotel in Alexandria,

Skills shortages remain a concern for more than one in five venues.

AHA NSW CEO John Whelan credited the increase in female patrons to pubs becoming more welcoming of women.

“Over the past 20 years pubs have invested heavily to create an inclusive environment with great food and an inviting atmosphere – and we are seeing the results,” he said.

Oatley Hotel publican and AHA NSW Senior Vice President Lyn Humphries said the change has been a long time coming.

“The days when the local pub was solely a male domain are long gone – and rightly so,” she said.

Lauren Malone, from Derry, Ireland, said that she always feels welcome at “corner Aussie pubs”.

“Pubs here are as good as the ones back home in Ireland – and the Guinness is almost as good,” Ms Malone, 27, said.

Double Bay resident Abby McConnell, 23, said “there’s nothing better than coming down to the local – especially after a busy week – to catch up with the girls, have a cocktail or a bite to eat”.