A study by Sintra sociologist Vasco Ramos, a researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon, has won the João Ferreira de Almeida 2025 Prize, awarded by Iscte and the Portuguese Association of Sociology. The research analyses the relationship between social class, consumption and eating habits in Portugal, having been published in 2023 in the scientific journal Journal of Consumer Culture and based on the Household Expenditure Survey by INE, conducted between 2015 and 2016, with 11,398 families and 29,901 people.
The study concludes that there are significant differences in alcohol consumption patterns depending on social position. Portuguese families spent an average of 171 euros on alcoholic beverages in 2024, corresponding to 5.5% of food expenditure. The so-called "cultural fractions," with high educational and professional capital, are among those who spend the most on beverages for home consumption, while managers and top executives show a greater tendency for out-of-home consumption. Wine is the most consumed beverage regardless of social position, spirits are associated with more economically privileged groups, and beer gains more weight as economic capacity decreases.
A subsequent investigation by Vasco Ramos also analysed the division of tasks related to meal preparation, revealing persistent gender inequalities. The data shows that 88% of women prepare their own breakfast, while 52% of men have this meal prepared by a woman in the family. Male participation in main meals is equally low: 18% at lunch and 19% at dinner. The differences are particularly evident in households without children and in the elderly population, where more than 80% of home-cooked meals are prepared by women.
Male involvement in meal preparation increases in households with young children or teenagers, ranging between 23% and 28%, but the balanced division of tasks remains a minority. The hiring of external services for meal preparation represents only 9% of cases. This second investigation results from the Survey on Eating Practices in Portugal (2024), conducted nationwide with a sample of 1,518 people. Both studies point to the persistence of social and gender inequalities in eating practices in Portugal.
