You might imagine the typical clientele who use pub pool tables to be men, perhaps young to middle-aged, either in a pair or in a small group, taking it in turns to play against one another.
But it doesn’t have to be that way – we are living in a time of gender equality, and an ever-increasing number of people of both sexes have spent time, for example, at university, where the Student Union pool table is a popular meeting place for boys and girls alike.
Ahead of Christmas, an article in the Times Higher Education supplement noted how many gifts are gender-defined for no reason – including toy pool tables for men to have on their desk at work.
Sally Feldman pointed out a gift guide from another of the major dailies, writing: “‘Guardian Man’, apparently, will relish a desktop pool table, a fish-shaped flask, a beer-decorated tea towel, stag cufflinks and a bottle of whisky.
“While there is nothing wrong with … fancy hand creams and pretty scarves for women, who says we wouldn’t be just as happy with some of the forbidden items in the men’s section?”
So don’t be surprised if you see more women on your pub pool tables in 2015 – they might be less likely to have a mini table of their own to play with at home.