Mother needs a bigger “helper”
A critique of “wine mom” discourse as conformity to hegemonic intensive motherhood
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12912978 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Harmony Newman (0000-0001-9238-2795, University of Northern Colorado, corresponding author), Kyle Anne Nelson (0000-0002-0555-1835, University of Northern Colorado) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Publication date | 2021-03-08 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociology Compass (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1751-9020 • E-ISSN: 1751-9020 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/soc4.12868 |
| OpenAlex | W3135396701 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 24 |
| References cited | 40 |
“Wine mom” discourse encourages American women to self‐deprecatingly bond over the stressors of parenting and touts alcohol use as necessary means for coping and escapism. Before the added stress of the COVID‐19 pandemic, whereby alcohol sales and consumption increased in the United States, rates of heavy drinking and alcohol‐related illnesses among US women have been steadily increasing. Exceeding the clinical markers of responsible alcohol use, “wine mom” discourse normalizes an inextricable link between alcohol misuse and expectations of (White, middle‐class) motherhood. Online communities and businesses emphasize “wine mom” discourse for self‐acceptance and bonding in response to the impossible demands of hegemonic motherhood. In this critique of “wine mom” discourse, we argue that although alcohol consumption is commonly touted as self‐care, this messaging operates in toxic ways that harms women and reinforces patriarchy. Applying Merton's strain theory, we argue that “wine mom” trends and related discourse encompass a harmful form of conformity, if not false resistance, to the strain of flawed cultural goals and lacking institutionalized supports for American mothers. We call for true rebellion, emphasizing positive discourse as well as structural changes and policy reforms to dismantle patriarchal barriers and hegemonic motherhood constraints to better support American families
Alcohol · Alcohol consumption · Conformity · Consumption (sociology · Hegemonic masculinity · Hegemony · Masculinity · Patriarchy · Political science · Politics · Resistance (ecology · Social science · Sociology · Wine · Gender Studies · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects · Psychology · Social Psychology
The virtual mother
Wine-Mom Culture, Alcohol Use, and Drinking Motives
Accounts of children’s experiences of living with a heavy-drinking parent
Women's alcohol consumption in the early parenting period and influences of socio‐demographic and domestic circumstances
Examining representations of and responses to children affected by parental alcohol consumption in Australian health and social policy
A hidden village
Social media influencers as new agents on parenthood? A systematic literature review of parent influencer research and a future research agenda
Women’s childbearing histories and their alcohol use at midlife
Hegemonic femininity, motherhood, and alcohol in Australia
Australian women’s lived experiences of unrealistic motherhood and mothering expectations
Resisting Intensive Motherhood? Women's Accounts on Infant Feeding in Spain
Teaching Through the Backlash
Framing women’s alcohol consumption during the Covid-19 pandemic
Understanding the perceptions of low-income American working mothers in rural areas
Reconciling intensive mothering
An examination of mothers’ sensemaking of ‘mommy drinking culture’
Mommy Needs Her Chardonnay in a Sippy Cup
Sober Curiosity
A qualitative analysis investigating drinking practices and meanings among a sample of Australian working mothers
Double shifts, double trouble
Uncorking the ‘wine mum’
Yu haf no idr how feckin fablus I feel rite now”
What makes a good mother? Two decades of research reflecting social norms of motherhood
The Risks and Consequences of Skipping Meals for Low-Income Mothers
The cultural contradictions of motherhood
Promises I Can Keep
Unequal Childhoods
Prevalence of 12-Month Alcohol Use, High-Risk Drinking, and DSM-IV Alcohol Use Disorder in the United States, 2001-2002 to 2012-2013
Changes in Adult Alcohol Use and Consequences During the Covid-19 Pandemic in the US
Women, Work, and Family
‘I know I'm a good mom’
Shifting the Center
Social Structure and Anomie
Motherload
Black Feminist Thought
Housework
Work, Family, and Accounts of Mothers’ Lives Using Discourse to Navigate Intensive Mothering Ideals
Low‐income and Middle‐class Mothers Gendered Work and Family Schemas
Re‐examining Cultural Contradictions
Different Transitions into Working Motherhood
The Price Mothers Pay, Even When They Are Not Buying It
Parenthood and Well‐Being
Families Across the Income Spectrum
Meeting the Challenges of Intensive Parenting Culture
Making motherhood work. How women manage careers and caregiving
What Kind of War? “Mommy Wars” Discourse in U.S. and Canadian News, 1989–2013
The Wage Penalty for Motherhood
Early Signs Indicate That Covid-19 Is Exacerbating Gender Inequality in the Labor Force
Family, Feminism, and Race in America
Extensive Mothering
Stratified Reproduction and Poor Women's Resistance
Being a Good Mom
When 'Best I Can' is Not Enough
The Modern Mystique
Integrated Motherhood
Conceiving and Investigating Motherhood
The End of the Gender Revolution? Gender Role Attitudes from 1977 to 2008
| Unique citing works | 24 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4,8 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 24 |