Ny artikel - "Women of my age tend to drink”: the social construction of alcohol use by Australian and Danish women aged 50–70 years

Abstract

In Australia and Denmark, women aged 50–70 years are more likely than youngerwomen to consume alcohol at levels that exceed national low risk drinkingguidelines. To explore and possibly help explain this sociocultural shift in patternsof alcohol use, this research investigated the social construction of alcohol useamongst 49 women (25 in Northern Denmark, 24 in Western Australia) aged 50–69 years. The women viewed drinking as normal and acceptable. While somewomen reported reducing their drinking due to health concerns, others neutralisedalcohol-related health risks through compensatory behaviours including exercise.Such constructions arguably serve to sustain at-risk drinking amongst somewomen. Our research highlights that interventions to minimise alcohol-relatedhealth risks amongst middle-aged and young-old women should acknowledge thatwomen’s social construction of their drinking practices may prioritise subjectiveexperiences of“being in control”while drinking, over biomedical understandingsof the health impacts of alcohol.

Artiklen er udgivet i Sociology of Health & Illness 2019 og forfattet af: Julie Dare, Celia Wilkinson, Line Traumer, Kathrine H. Kusk, Marie-Louise McDermott, Lynsey Uridge & Mette Grønkjær.

Opdateret