A Longitudinal Study on Factors Influencing Hazardous Drinking among Young and Middle-Aged Female Employees: Focusing on Gender Norms and Work Environment Factors

Abstract

This study aims to examine how gender norms and work environment factors influence hazardous drinking among women, based on Social-Constructivist theory, and to verify whether there are differences in the factors influencing hazardous drinking between the young and middle-aged generations. For this purpose, we selected 12,840 female employees aged 19 to 64 from the 7th to 9th waves of the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Families and conducted a panel logistic regression analysis. The results showed that gender-equal perceptions of gender roles influenced hazardous drinking among the young generation. In contrast, gender roles and traditional family values influenced hazardous drinking among the middle-aged generation, indicating generational differences. Regarding work environment factors, hazardous drinking increased for the young generation when working hours were shorter and monthly wages were higher, whereas for the middle-aged generation, hazardous drinking increased with higher educational attainment and longer working hours, again revealing generational differences. Based on these findings, we discussed policy and practical implications for preventing hazardous drinking among women, tailored to each generation.