In decades past, men typically consumed more alcohol than women and were more likely to experience alcohol-related problems, such as alcohol addiction. Some studies suggested that alcohol use and alcohol-related problems were up to 12 times more common in men than women, the researchers said.

In the new study, the researchers analyzed information from more than 4 million people living in countries around the world, who were born as long ago as 1891 and as recently as the year 2000. The data came from 68 previously published studies that compared men’s and women’s drinking patterns.

The results showed that men born between 1891 and 1910 were 2.2 times more likely to consume alcohol than women born in that time period. But among men and women born between 1991 and 2000, the rates of alcohol consumption were nearly equal, with men just 1.1 times more likely to consume alcohol than women.