New research has shown that anxiety surrounding the coronavirus pandemic has led to an increase in drinking among women.
Susan Stewart, a professor of sociology at Iowa State University, conducted the study as part of research for her upcoming book. She discovered that almost two-thirds of female participants reported their drinking has increased since the pandemic started. These changes included binge drinking, drinking more often each day, and drinking earlier in the day.
Stewart’s study was published last month in the peer-reviewed Journal of Gynecology and Women’s Health.
“The aim of this study is to assess changes in women’s alcohol consumption since COVID-19, and to understand the role of coronavirus-related anxiety, and women’s social and demographic characteristics,” Stewart wrote in the research article.
The study was based on an anonymous online survey of 546 women that was conducted between June 3 and June 30, 2020.
In a press release, the professor remarked that she’d been seeing chatter on social media about women drinking more because of the pandemic.
“There were a lot of memes about women homeschooling and it would show their progression of drinks throughout the day, from mimosas and bloody marys in the morning to wine and shots in the afternoon,” she said. “There were a lot of jokes like that, but from previous research we know that women’s alcohol use has increased dramatically over the past decade – and that this is no joke.”
Stewart’s study also showed that higher scores on coronavirus pandemic-related anxiety were linked to noticeably greater chances of drinking more. Among the factors that possibly contributed to this are economic uncertainty, social isolation and increased responsibilities at home.
The U.S. National Pandemic Emotional Impact Report found that women who have children under 18 had more instances of “clinically significant anxiety,” according to the Harvard Health Blog, as opposed to women with no minor children and men with children under 18. The blog reported it’s more likely for women to bear the responsibility of childcare, household tasks and caregiving than men. Remote schooling and a drop in childcare support after stay-at-home orders were put in
There are also barriers to women getting help for alcohol overuse.
“Guilt, shame, being perceived as a ‘bad mom,’ lack of childcare, the cost of treatment, and familial opposition, the lack of gender-specific treatment, physicians being slow to recognize [alcohol use disorders] in women, and for single mothers, the potential loss of custody,” Stewart’s study said.
“These findings suggest the importance of continued study of how COVID-19 is impacting women’s alcohol use, factors underlying increased consumption, and the effect of drinking on women’s social and emotional health and on the well-being of their families.”
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