Most women over 40 can remember ladette culture, pound-a-pint, alco-pops, and more recently, Mummy wine time. We have grown up in a time when alcohol has always been synonymous with fun.

We drink to fit in, to keep up with men, because we deserve it, because we have earned a treat or simply because its 5 o’clock somewhere! And now after a lifetime of being fed that narrative, we have become champion drinkers. In fact a recent article¹ suggests that British women are world-leading binge drinkers.

Most women over 40 can remember ladette culture, pound-a-pint, alco-pops, and more recently, Mummy wine time. We have grown up in a time when alcohol has always been synonymous with fun.

Interestingly, this trend doesn’t appear to hold across different age brackets. National health survey² from 2021, looked at the proportion of women (by age bracket) who drank more than the recommended 14 units per week. In the 25-34 age bracket, 9% of women drank more than the recommended amount. Contrast this with the midlife women (45-64 age bracket) and it’s as high as 18%….read that again…18% of all women in midlife are consuming over the recommended amount. We are being shown up by our daughters, whose generation seems to have much more responsible drinking habits.

If women are comfortable with their drinking habits and feel able to make good decisions about their consumption then cheers to them. However, our ‘decisions’ are at the mercy of many factors and the alcohol industry knows this, and they specifically target women in their marketing. This article³ discusses how the alcohol industry both reinforces gender roles (Mummy wine time) and rejects gender roles (keeping up with the lads) to promote alcohol use.

You, do you

There are powerful forces at play and personal decision making isn’t easy when it comes to alcohol – we are all at the whim of the marketing giants! Midlife is a great time to reflect on your drinking habits, we are often prompted to when our bodies can no longer shake off a hangover. Being clear about when you do want to drink and when you don’t is a great start. Saying no on occasion can be an empowering act of rebellion against a culture that wants you to be dependent on alcohol.

If you have serious concerns about alcohol, do not delay in getting help. Contact your GP and see the resources below for more info.

References

1. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/nov/10/why-are-british-women-leading-the-world-in-binge-drinking
2. Health Survey for England, 2021 part 1. Official statistics, National statistics, 15 Dec 2022.
3. ‘Pretty in Pink’ and ‘Girl Power’: An analysis of the targeting and representation of women in alcohol brand marketing on Facebook and Instagram. A.M. Atkinson, B.R. Meadows, C. Emslie, A. Lyons, H.R. Sumnall. International Journal of Drug Policy, Volume 101, March 2022, 103547.