'I have a healthy relationship with alcohol': Australian midlife women, alcohol consumption and social class

Alcohol consumption by Australian women during midlife has been increasing. Health promotion efforts to reduce alcohol consumption in order to reduce alcohol-related disease risk compete with the social contexts and value of alcohol in women's lives. This paper draws on 50 qualitative interviews with midlife women (45-64 years of age) from different social classes living in South Australia in order to gain an understanding of how and why women might justify their relationships with alcohol. Social class shaped and characterized the different types of relationships with alcohol available to women, structuring their logic for consuming alcohol and their ability to consider reducing (or 'breaking up with') alcohol. We identified more agentic relationships with alcohol in the narratives of affluent women. We identified a tendency for less control over alcohol-related decisions in the narratives of women with less privileged life chances, suggesting greater challenges in changing drinking patterns. If classed differences are not attended to in health promotion efforts, this might mitigate the effectiveness of alcohol risk messaging to women.

Automated summary

This study explores how social class shapes and influences the relationships between midlife Australian women and alcohol consumption. The findings indicate that affluent women tend to have more control over their alcohol-related decisions and may have a more agentic relationship with alcohol, while women with less socioeconomic privilege face challenges in changing their drinking patterns and making alcohol-related decisions. This highlights the importance of considering class differences in health promotion efforts to effectively communicate alcohol risk messages to women.