The 1600s Coffee Shop Gender Wars That Made History

In 1662 London, as men spent their days in coffeehouses and left women at home, bar owners—keen to profit from the growing gender divide—helped stir up trouble. Their timing was perfect: coffee was booming, and women were fed up.

The answer? A full-scale, printed war of words between the sexes—with pamphlets, plays, and petitions that show just how seriously (and comically) everyone took their morning cup.

Coffeehouses Take Over 17th-Century London

By the mid-1600s, coffee had taken London by storm. With a population of around 600,000, the city boasted nearly 3,000 coffeehouses—one for every 200 to 300 people. These establishments became hubs for business, debate, and socializing, seriously cutting into the beer and ale trade that had long dominated.

Women Were Officially Not Welcome

Most coffeehouses in 17th-century London were male-only spaces. Women weren’t allowed inside—not because of hygiene or safety concerns, but because coffeehouses were seen as serious places for conducting business and intellectual discussion. The culture didn’t welcome casual or female voices, and women were often stereotyped as unworthy of such “serious” environments.

Meanwhile, taverns and beerhouses—which served alcoholic drinks—had no such restrictions and actively welcomed women, both as patrons and entertainers.

The First Salvo: 'The Women’s Complaint Against Coffee' (1662)

London tavern owners, seeing men desert their establishments for coffeehouses, exploited the growing resentment among women. In 1662, they helped circulate a satirical play called The Women’s Complaint Against Coffee. It was printed in large numbers and featured three women mocking coffee as a devilish invention. Their complaint? Their husbands spent all day in coffeehouses gossiping and then came home too tired for anything else.

The Women Fight Back: The 1674 Petition

By 1674, London women had had enough. A group of them formally published The Women’s Petition Against Coffee, a satirical yet pointed document. It claimed coffee made men impotent, unproductive, and perpetually sleepy. More importantly, it protested their exclusion from public life and the intellectual spaces that coffeehouses had become.

The Men Strike Back: 'The Men’s Answer to the Women’s Petition'

Not to be outdone, London men quickly fired back with their own printed response: The Men’s Answer to the Women’s Petition Against Coffee. This document defended coffee as a sober, energizing drink that improved clarity and conversation. The men ridiculed the women’s claims and argued that coffeehouses were essential for business and civil discourse—spaces where women supposedly had no place.

Why All the Fuss?

The core issue wasn’t really about coffee’s effects on health or virility. It was about access, social roles, and shifting cultural norms. Coffeehouses were becoming central to public life, and women wanted in—not just to drink coffee, but to participate in the conversations and opportunities those spaces enabled.

Had coffeehouses admitted women from the start—as Venetian and Parisian cafés commonly did—this gender conflict might have been avoided. But in 17th-century England, coffee was considered an “intellectual” drink, tied to serious discussions better left to men. Taverns, by contrast, were rowdier, alcohol-fueled, and far more welcoming to women.

The Aftermath and Lasting Irony

Today, coffee shops are often filled with women, while bars and pubs remain heavily male-dominated—a complete reversal of 17th-century norms. Ironically, the gender lines drawn back then have completely flipped, with modern coffee culture now associated with female customers, remote workers, and casual socializing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What started the 17th-century coffee gender debate?

The debate began in 17th-century London when coffeehouses became popular male-only spaces, leaving women at home. Tavern owners, seeing a business opportunity, stoked resentment, leading to satirical plays and printed petitions both mocking and defending coffee’s role in society and gender exclusion.

What was 'The Women’s Complaint Against Coffee'?

Published in 1662, this satirical play (printed widely in London) featured three women jokingly condemning coffee as a demonic drink that kept their husbands away from home and too tired for intimacy—all while supporting the exclusion of women from coffeehouses.

Did women actually protest against coffee in 1674?

Yes. In 1674, a group of London women published The Women’s Petition Against Coffee, a satirical petition claiming coffee made men impotent and lazy, while also protesting their banishment from coffeehouse culture and public intellectual life.

How did men respond to the women’s coffee protests?

Men responded with The Men’s Answer to the Women’s Petition, defending coffee as a beneficial, mind-sharpening drink essential for business and rational debate. They dismissed the women’s complaints as absurd and insisted coffeehouses were no place for female presence.

Why were women not allowed in 17th-century coffeehouses?

Coffeehouses were viewed as serious, intellectual spaces for business and debate. Society believed those conversations were inappropriate for women, who were stereotyped as unfit for such “serious” or public engagement. Taverns, serving alcohol, were far more welcoming to women.

How is today’s coffee shop culture different from the 1600s?

Modern coffee shops are often female-dominated spaces, with women as primary customers and workers. This is the reverse of the 1600s, when coffeehouses were almost exclusively male, while taverns welcomed women. The gender dynamics have completely flipped over the centuries.

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