Many women take to tobacco because they regard cigarettes as symbol of freedom and the so-called image of power they think comes with smoking. There is an interesting story about how America accepted female smoking.

1. Smoking Women
Women's smoking rates
Tobacco smoking is the single largest cause of preventable death and disease in Australia, with
over 19,000 tobacco caused deaths per year. Approximately 6,000 Australian women die
prematurely each year from tobacco caused illness. Based on the number of deaths in Australia,
it's estimated that around 1500 Victorian women die each year from tobacco related illness.
21% percent of Australian men and 18% of Australian women aged 14 years or over are daily
smokers, with highest rates in the 20-29 and 30-39 year age groups. Approximately 24% of
Australian women in these age groups smoke on a daily basis.

2. Health Effects of Esse, Eva
Tobacco smoking is a significant risk factor for a range of disabling and fatal conditions. For
women, cigarette smoking increases the risk of a number of sex-specific health problems.
Women who smoke are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Women who smoke and take
the contraceptive pill have an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and this risk increases
dramatically with age.
Smoking contributes to peripheral vascular disease (PVD), which occurs when blockages within
the blood vessels prevent proper circulation. PVD can cause severe pain and may even lead to
gangrene and amputation of a limb.
Cigarette smoking is a major cause of lung cancer in women and is responsible for about 65% of
lung cancer cases in women. Lung cancer rates and deaths have increased among Australia
women reflecting high levels of smoking among females during the 1970s. Smoking increases
the risk of cancers of the nose, mouth and throat, oesophagus, voice box, bladder, kidney,
stomach, pancreas, liver, anus and blood.
Women smokers are at greater risk of health problems relating to period pain, Premenstrual
Syndrome (PMS), pregnancy and their babies' health, and menopause. They are more likely to
experience reduced fertility and delays in conceiving.
Women smokers may also face difficulties during pregnancy and childbirth, including pregnancy
complications, miscarriage and premature birth. There are greater risks of their baby having a
low birth weight, being still born or dying shortly after birth, and sudden infant death syndrome.
Women smokers are less likely to breastfeed. If they do, they tend to produce less breast milk
and are more likely to wean their babies earlier. Smoking affects the breast milk, exposing
babies to nicotine as well as altering the flavour of the milk.
Smoking increases the risk of developing chronic lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis and
emphysema. These diseases lead to progressive loss of lung function, making it harder to
breathe.

3. Smoking contributes to osteoporosis (thinning of the bones), and women smokers have an
increased risk for hip fracture.
Recent research has also found that women who are currently heavy smokers are at greater risk
of having colds which last longer compared to non-smokers.
Women who smoke have more facial wrinkles than non-smokers.

4. Smoking-related diseases kill more than 140,000 some American women annually, according to
the American Cancer Society (ACS). Since 1980, some 3 million US women have died
prematurely from smoking-related diseases.
The research shows that women who smoke are at higher risk for a number of serious health
problems, including heart disease and lung cancer than women who don't smoke.
What's more, women smokers are 12 times more likely to die from lung cancer than women who
do not smoke, and they're ten times more likely to die from bronchitis and emphysema.

5. While the lives of all women smokers are at risk, post-menopausal women and women on birth-
control pills lead the pack in succumbing to smoking-related diseases that can go on to cause
death.
Women and girls have been extensively targeted in tobacco marketing. In 1999, cigarette
advertising and promotion was $8.24 billion, or about $22.6 million a day for marketing in the
US.
Women: consider these risks of smoking
If you're thinking of quitting, or you're not convinced that now is the "right" time, here are some
health facts to consider:
Cancers: Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer among women —
surpassing breast cancer. Some 68,000 U.S. women die each year from the disease and
lung cancer mortality rates among US women have increased about 600 percent since
1950. Once rare among women, lung cancer has surpassed breast cancer as the leading
cause of female cancer death in the United States. It now accounts for 25 percent of all
cancer deaths among women.

6. The number of women smokers, especially women who are aged 45 to 65, has risen in the last decade
or two. Anti-smoking groups blame it on the failure to increase tobacco prices. But, can low prices alone
be the reason for women, or even men, to smoke?

7. Many women take to tobacco because they regard cigarettes as symbol of freedom and the so-called
image of power they think comes with smoking. There is an interesting story about how America
accepted female smoking. The beginning of the 1900’s saw a movement demanding a woman’s right to
vote. The 19th
Amendment of 1920 finally granted this right. Edward Bernay, nephew of Sigmund Freud,
was then promoting Lucky cigarettes for American Tobacco. He seized this opportunity and hired young
models to join the Easter Parade in New York and pose as suffragettes while lighting up cigarettes and
wearing banners describing their cigarettes as ‘torches of liberty’. Cigarette sales to women skyrocketed
and spread throughout the country. Smoking was associated with women’s liberation and anyone
opposing smoking was dubbed as ‘against women’s liberation’.

8. There are other reasons as well as to why women smoke. According to Health Canada, most women
smoke to relax and take a break. Some smoke to deal with stress and depression while others are

9. believed to be fighting feelings of helplessness or dealing with anger and frustration through tobacco
use.
Data from the Institut National de Prévention et d'Education pour la Santé (Inpes) showed that 50
percent of the unemployed took to smoking.
A Thai study on the association of tobacco and alcohol use with socio-economic factors indicated
alcohol misuse to be the strongest predictor of smoking. The researchers also found that smoking and
tobacco use is inversely related to education and family income. Lesser the education and lower the
income, higher the rate of smoking.
Similar results were obtained by Indian studies where the researchers concluded that the greatest
tobacco consumption is observed among illiterate and less educated people. They also found that
smoking significantly correlated with prevalence of coronary heart disease and high blood pressure.
Tobacco companies are also responsible to some extent in encouraging girls and women to smoke.
According to the WHO, Lady represent the largest potential market for tobacco companies. Cigarette
manufacturers created cigarette brands which they promoted as mild and low in tar. Tobacco
advertisements themed their products around women’s independence, stress relief, and even losing
weight. Which woman can resist that!