It is believed that women are responsible for establishing the concept of brewing. In ancient Mesopotamia, beer was considered a gift from the Goddess Ninkasi and the oldest known recipe was found in a poem dedicated to her. It has also been argued that beer is responsible for the development of civilization. From 6-7,000 years ago all the way through colonial times in America, women were responsible for running/owning taverns and brewing beer. In 1734, Thomas Jefferson was given credit as a "Founding home brewer", when in actuality, it was his wife who did the brewing. As industrialization progressed and brewing became less of a domestic activity, men began taking over the role of brewer. Fast forward to today and women only account for 1/4 of beer drinkers and 10% of jobs within the industry.
With that bit of brief background info in mind, I will begifting the prince with a pack of beer, named after the goddess Ninkasi, and created by "Equality Brewing". There are a couple of meanings behind this gift. 1) The prince is in his early 30s and from South Carolina, which currently ranks 20th in the nation for beer consumption. He most likely drinks fairly often, or at least on special occasions. Since beer is often used to commemorate celebratory events, it would be a fitting gift for his coronation. 2) It is not a commonly known fact that women had anything to do with the creation of beer. Today, it is a drink enjoyed by men (and women) around the world. I would like to introduce the notion that without women, beer, in this case, might not be what it is today - same with many other female creations/inventions used in every day life. 3) Brewing, along with many other industries are male dominated, when it has been proven that women can successfully do the same work as men. Today, women are most often portrayed as sex symbols to advertise beer to men. The beer/brewing industry is proof that equality is needed within America’s industries.
