In the 18th century, it was common for women to earn a living as innkeepers. Brewing beer and distilling spirits for domestic use were women's activities, linked to cooking. However, brewing, distilling and selling alcohol became highly regulated in the 18th century. Mainly, brandy was regulated. Distillation for private use was banned three times during the period 1718-1775, and a new duty was established for the import of spirits into the cities in 1731. Crown distilleries were established in 1775. The aim of the project is to investigate how these regulations affected women's ability to earn a living by selling alcohol, legally and illegally. The method to investigate this is to use court book material from the periods when new regulations were introduced. The main questions are: how were the regulations discussed? What economic issues did they raise? How were the women who sold alcohol viewed, and who were the customers? A comparison over time can show an interplay between how and why regulations were introduced, and how the people affected responded to them. This project examines three cities: Falun, Uppsala and Karlskrona, all of which were dominated by large organizations such as the copper mine, the university and the navy. A further aim of the study is to see how the gender segregation that emerged in Falun, Uppsala and Karlskrona affected and was affected by alcohol sales and regulations. This will be a way to analyze gender segregation more generally, and to compare with other countries and other eras.