Alcohol use among midlife women (late 30s to 50s) has received increased attention in research recently. Alongside this, popular representations of “wine mums” – stressed caregivers who turn to wine for relief – have grown. But is this stereotype accurate or helpful? Our study delved into the complexities of drinking among several Australian women to explore how their day-to-day lives and identities shape their drinking habits.
Why Focus on Midlife Women?
Over the past 20 years, midlife women’s drinking has increased in Australia and the USA. Social and economic changes have afforded many women the freedom to drink, with alcohol sometimes viewed as a symbol of liberation. However, many women still face gender double-standards at work and home, and their drinking is still understood and moralised differently from men’s. For example, representations of “wine mums” construct women’s drinking as socially acceptable and tied to the stresses of traditional motherhood, carving them out as a market segment for alcohol advertising.
However, there are diverse factors that shape midlife women’s drinking behaviours, including the fact that an increasing number of women juggle employment and childcare. Using a framework called ‘thick intersectionality’, our approach was to look at women’s roles and identities, and how these produce particular ways of drinking.
Methods
We analysed a subsample of interviews with working Australian mothers aged 36-51 who drank alcohol at least weekly. We asked women about their daily routines, employment, domestic responsibilities, relationships, and drinking practices. Here, we examined four accounts in depth to explore the different influences on drinking.
One woman, Mary, was a financially well-off mother who drank primarily for relaxation, viewing wine as a cultural hobby. For Stef, drinking alcohol was a habitual practice after long days in a demanding job and rural setting. Alice was a single parent with ADHD and anxiety who used alcohol to manage stress, pain, and limited downtime. And Jo was a single parent working in a male-dominated workplace, whose drinking reflected frustration, exhaustion, and feelings of isolation.
Each woman’s drinking habits reflected their unique circumstances and identities, and there were some common themes.
Class, Gender, and “Appropriate Drinking”
Class was an important factor in women’s drinking. Affluence meant that women could afford to pay for help and reduce their work hours, and tended to link their drinking with stress less. This allowed them to feel like they had positive relationships with alcohol, while distancing themselves from the stigma of heavy drinking.
We don’t drink to pass out or anything like that. It’s just appropriate drinking, a few glasses of wine over dinner is the way.” – Mary
Conversely, financial stress and unsatisfactory work conditions meant other women used alcohol to manage stress. But for all women, class and gender were important, and they described needing to be “responsible drinkers” as part of being good mothers.
Domestic Patterns and Professional Identities
Workplace and domestic responsibilities also influenced women’s drinking practices. For example, gendered roles and the pressure to be “supermum” intensified stress, particularly when women were sole income earners or did not have social support. Drinking became a way to “take the edge off” stress associated with chores like cooking and cleaning up.
Professional identities also influenced drinking. Working in male-dominated industries led to experiences of misogyny, gendered microaggressions, and career barriers that meant drinking could become an “escape”. Other women used alcohol to delineate work-home boundaries.
I think sometimes maybe there is a bit of a sense of just wanting, as I said before, that workday to end.” – Stef
Life Transitions and Biographical Influences
Life course changes, such as ageing, shifts in caregiving roles, and health challenges also influenced women’s drinking. Alcohol was entwined with transitions like children gaining independence, career changes, or the end of relationships, which changed women’s identities and responsibilities. For example, as their children became more independent, women might develop a more positive relationship with alcohol, use it to cope with feelings of loneliness, or increase their consumption as their caregiving responsibilities decreased.
I think maybe it [drinking] increased slightly, but more in the sense of a bigger pour, as my kids got older, because they became less dependent.” – Alice
Relationality and Gendered Labor
Women’s relationships, caregiving and emotional labour all influenced drinking practices. Alcohol often facilitated emotional connections with partners or friends, while caring for elderly parents and struggles around gender egalitarianism in the home reinforced alcohol’s role in managing stress and frustration. Living rurally added to this complexity, as alcohol could become a tool for ‘smoothing over’ family relationships in lieu of other social supports or connections.
It’s funny. It’s almost like I think my family don’t mind me drinking. Because I’m just going to – I don’t whinge about anything.” – Stef
Affect and Drinking Practices
Emotions were deeply embedded in women’s drinking. They drank to relax, socialise, and disconnect, but also to manage stress, frustration and loneliness. While some women associated alcohol with enjoyment, others reported ambivalence, particularly when drinking became habitual rather than fulfilling.
I’m finding lately, the more stressful things are getting, the more I’ll go, oh, I wouldn’t mind a glass, or maybe a bit extra.” – Jo
Moving Beyond ‘Wine Mum’ Stereotypes
The ‘wine mum’ trope reduces midlife women’s drinking to a stereotype that reproduces gender norms and ways of drinking, and the alcohol industry plays into this. However, women’s drinking is shaped by complex gender roles and dynamics. For the women we talked to, alcohol had a functional role in overcoming gender barriers or dealing with gendered expectations, but was also part of everyday life. Here, we saw some of the social and cultural forces that affect their lives and relationships with alcohol.
This research highlights the need for alcohol policies that acknowledge the realities of midlife women’s lives, such as balancing work, family, and other social roles. Health campaigns could benefit from addressing the structural challenges women face to support their health and well-being, including addressing the social and commercial determinants of health among busy working mothers.
Written by Dr Gabriel Caluzzi, Researcher, Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Australia.
All IAS Blogposts are published with the permission of the author. The views expressed are solely the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Institute of Alcohol Studies.