Accepted, desired and ashamed: Images of female alcohol use and drinking-related gender orders described by Finnish women of different ages

Abstract

Aims The article deals with how Finnish women of different ages perceive acceptable and desirable images of female alcohol use as well as gender orders associated with drinking. A focus on women and differences between women is motivated by the fact that women's increased drinking is one of the most significant changes in the Finnish alcohol landscape in recent history. Data and Design The data consists of group interviews with women aged 50–60, 35–40 and 25. The images of female alcohol use adopted in these groups are analysed by studying what representations of women's alcohol use and what drinking-related gender identities women in different age brackets identify themselves with as they interpret the stimulus images of drinking situations shown in interviews. Results The analysis suggests that women in different age groups have different ideas of what kind of images of female alcohol use are considered suitable, acceptable and desirable. The different generations also express and repeat different drinking-related norms and attitudes. Conclusions Overall, the analysis shows that women have achieved greater autonomy in their alcohol use and that the construction of women's gender identity in relation to drinking has expanded beyond traditional feminine values and become more varied and layered. Younger generations thus have access to a wider range of feminine imageries, norms and ways of being women.

Frightening or Foolish? Gendered Perceptions of Public Intoxication Among Youths and Adults in Norway and Finland

“…The analysis also showed that gendered evaluations of public intoxication seldom were expressed directly, indicating a norm of gender equality. This aligns with other recent studies concluding with a relaxation of gender stereotypes of alcohol use and intoxication in the Nordic countries (Abrahamson, 2012;Demant & T€ orr€ onen, 2011;Simonen, 2013). It is also possible that the focus group context gave ground for socially desirable statements, and that statements in favor of gender equality were regarded to be the most socially appropriate response.…”

“…Recent research suggests that women's entry into public drinking spaces is one of the factors behind a change towards a more heterogenic and less intoxication-oriented drinking culture in these countries, and that women engaged in public drinking to a lesser extent than before provoking negative and immoral images (Demant & T€ orr€ onen, 2011). It has also been suggested that women's gender identity in relation to drinking has expanded beyond traditional feminine values and become more layered and varied (Simonen, 2013).…”

“…Scheffels, Moan, & Storvoll, 2016). Some studies have indicated that youth have restrictive attitudes towards drinking (Katainen & Rolando, 2015;Simonen et al, 2017), while others do not find this (De Haan, Boljevac, & Schaefer, 2010;Simonen, 2013). A focus group study with participants aged 16-80 from Denmark described people's acceptance of drinking as defined by the age of the drinker and by drinking context in general (Grønkjaer, Curtis, De Crespigny, & Delmar, 2011).…”

The prevalence of substance use among Russian, Somali and Kurdish migrants in Finland: a population-based study

“…These factors together with poorer language proficiency as an indicator for lower acculturation were all protective factors against binge drinking among Kurdish women. The gender differences in the drinking patterns of Kurdish migrants were reminiscent of the gender differences in drinking patterns in the Finnish population some decades ago; nowadays, this has dissolved with the alarming increase in the alcohol consumption of Finnish women and the simultaneous significant gender role changes in Finnish society [ 65 , 66 ]. The prevalence of abstainers has decreased and the proportion of weekly drinkers has increased among Finnish women between 1968 and 2008 [ 67 ].…”

The role of feminine and masculine norms in college women’s alcohol use.

“…This norm refers to the notion that women should only engage in sexual activity within a monogamous relationship . Given that the sexual fidelity norm is reflective of traditional attitudes, perhaps women who endorse this norm may feel that excessive alcohol consumption may jeopardize their romantic relationships, and are thus less likely to engage in HED (Simonen, 2013). Moreover women who endorse the sexual fidelity norm do not feel the need to engage in HED to facilitate their social interactions with men (Young et al, 2005).…”