Women, Men and Smoking

Over the past few decades, the smoking behaviour of men and women has become more and more similar. Until the 1960’s smoking was the province of men, with a smaller number of women choosing to smoke. But two opposing forces have changed the gender balance of smoking aggressive promotion of cigarettes to women and large numbers of men responding to quit smoking campaigns.

Women

The tobacco industry tied its products to the concept of women’s equality, independence, beauty and weight control in the early and mid-20th century. That approach did not stop with the classic Virginia Slims ads of the 1960s and 1970s, and it did not stop with the increasing limitations on the industry’s ability to market in the late part of the century.

In 2007, R.J. Reynolds launched a new brand aimed at women and marketed with an air of Sex and the City-style glamour. Camel No. 9s (the name echoes Chanel’s numbered fragrances) are packaged in shiny boxes with pink and teal decorations. Slogans include “Light and Luscious” and “Now Available in Stiletto” for “the Most Fashion-Forward Woman.” Free samples were given out at “launch parties” at nightclubs across the country, often with free massages and gift bags. According to Camel representative Cressida Lozano, Camel No. 9s were developed for women who said they liked Camel’s “irreverence” and “authenticity,” but didn’t feel Camel products were “meant for them.” In truth, Reynolds had realized only 30 percent of its customers were female and wanted to improve its bottom line by reaching women.

Not to be outdone, Philip Morris USA unveiled yet another makeover of Virginia Slims (the 11th) in 2008, with new “purse packs”: small, rectangular cigarette packs containing“Superslim” cigarettes. The purse packs resemble cosmetics packages and fit easily into small purses. The cigarettes are available in “Superslims Lights” and “Superslims Ultra Lights”—the terms “slim” and “light” as well as the design of the cigarettes themselves continuing the tobacco industry’s history of associating smoking with weight control.

Another thing these campaigns for women all have in common: they downplay or avoid the impact of tobacco on women’s health. And it’s not just women who are targeted. Despite being ostensibly “for adults,” the marketing—with its associations of glamour, freedom and sexual attractiveness—has great appeal for girls who are also seeking to be attractive, mature, independent and thin.

In a world that was becoming increasingly complex and frustrating for the ordinary man, the cowboy represented the antithesis – a man whose environment was simplistic and relatively pressure-free. He was his own man in a world he owned.
— Jack Landry, Marlboro brand manager, 2002

Men

Two words: Marlboro Man. Could there be a more iconic representation of what a strong and masculine man desires to be? After five decades, the Marlboro brand remains one of the most valuable and well-known consumer product brands in the world.

For decades, tobacco advertising for men has depicted them as powerful, adventurous, rugged and independent. “Marlboro Country” became synonymous with masculinity, and the iconic images created for the brand depicted an idealized western frontier—pure Americana. Even during the 1950s and 1960s, when American culture was becoming more complicated, the Marlboro brand appealed to American sensibilities and the desire for freedom and simplicity in an increasingly urbanized society.

The Marlboro Man has come and gone, but tobacco ads that target men still use many of the same messages— playing to their desires to be strong and masculine, successful and athletic. Men continue to dominate tobacco consumption, smoking more and using more smokeless tobacco than do women in all demographic groups.

Tobacco marketing also seeks to create an impression among male consumers that tobacco products make them sexually attractive to women. Perhaps the most notable examples come from smokeless tobacco manufacturers, which are not bound by the same marketing restrictions as cigarette makers and which frequently use sexually provocative images in their advertising. A 2008 promotion campaign for Skoal—whose slogan is “Welcome to the Brotherhood”— partnered with Playboy magazine, giving participants the chance to vote for one of 12 Skoal models who would be featured in a pictorial.

The promotion was intended not just to appeal to existing smokeless customers but also to lure new ones who had previously used cigarettes.

Health effects of smoking are generally similar for men and women. While more men than women are dying currently dying from smoking related disease, this will change as the women who took up smoking in larger numbers from the 1970’s contract tobacco related diseases.

For example, lung cancer deaths in men are declining, due to reductions in male smoking prevalence over the last 30+ years, while they are increasing in women. It is likely that this sort of change will be evident for most smoking related disease in the future. This includes heart disease and stroke and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

There have also been some studies that have suggested that women may be more susceptible to lung cancer than men.

Reproductive system
It is in diseases of the reproductive system where gender differences in the effects of smoking are most evident.

Men

Smoking is linked with impotence. Studies have shown that cigarette smokers are more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction (impotence) than non-smokers. For example, in a study of 4,462 US Army veterans the prevalence of impotence was 2.2% among never smokers, 2.0% among ex-smokers and 3.7% among smokers. Smoking can reduce blood flow to the penis, because of cholesterol deposits and blood clots.
Smoking is linked with reduced sperm quality and fertility problems. Research has shown that smokers have lower sperm counts and lower quality semen than non-smokers. One recent study found that in men undergoing fertility investigation, smokers had poorer sperm density, a lower percentage of motile sperm, and a lower percentage of normal sperm morphology.

Warning: Smoking causes male impotence.
http://old.ash.org.uk//html/health/html/impotent.html
Impotence and smoking
www.globalink.org/tobacco/trg/Chapter12/Chap12_Impotence.html

Women

Smoking is linked with menstrual symptoms. An Australian study has shown that women who smoke are more likely to have premenstrual tension, irregular periods, heavy periods and severe period pain than their non-smoking peers.

Smoking is linked with early menopause in women. Women who smoke have menopause 1 – 4 years earlier than non-smokers. Recent research suggests that they are also more likely to experience menopausal hot flushes.

Smoking is linked with greater difficulty in conceiving among women. Women who smoke have decreased fertility – due to either delayed conception (a lower probability of conception per menstrual cycle) or infertility (failure to conceive after 12 months).

Smoking is linked with increased risks during and immediately after pregnancy. During pregnancy, smoking is linked with miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, pre-eclampsia, placenta previa, and premature rupture of the membranes. Most of these risks increase with the number of cigarettes smoked. Babies born to smoking mothers are at increased risk of preterm delivery and low birth weight (including small for gestational age), both associated with short and long-term health problems. These babies are also more likely to be stillborn, or die during the first weeks after birth. Smoking during and after pregnancy also considerably increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

Smoking is linked with osteoporosis in women. Smoking is linked with increased risk of hip fractures. Smokers have also been shown to have lower bone density than the non-smokers.
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