An Intersectional Analysis of Women’s Experiences of Smoking-Related Stigma

Abstract

In this article, we explore how young women encounter and counter discourses of smoking-related stigma. Twenty-seven young Australian women, smokers and ex-smokers, took part in interviews. A sub-sample of 18 participants took photographs to document their smoking experience, and took part in a second interview. Data were analyzed through Foucauldian discourse analysis. Four discourses were identified: "smoking as stigmatized," "the smoking double standard," "smoking as lower class," and "smokers as bad mothers." The women negotiated stigma in a variety of ways, shifting between agreeing, disagreeing, challenging, and displacing stigma onto "other" smokers. These experiences and negotiations of smoking-related stigma were shaped by intersecting identities, including gender, cultural background, social class, and mothering, which at times, compounded levels of stigmatization. It is concluded that tobacco control measures should consider the negative implications of smoking-related stigma, and the potential for women to experience compounding levels of stigma.

Challenges and opportunities in examining and addressing intersectional stigma and health

“…Qualitative research methods can also be used to explore the relative experiences of different types of stigma. Recent qualitative intersectional studies have focused on stigma related to a variety of health conditions and behaviors, including HIV [2, 3, 53], tobacco use [54], and mental health [55], most commonly as they relate to racial identity, gender, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation. While intersectionality theory has been used in studies with diverse qualitative methodologies, a recent HIV-related review found that intersectionality was rarely the central focus [56] (see [41, 55, 57] for exceptions).…”

“I’m Scared of the Disappointment”: Young Adult Smokers’ Relational Identity Gaps and Management Strategies as Sites of Communication Intervention

“…Instead, the lack of female participants indicates that women who smoke may be particularly stigmatized. Indeed, women smokers perceive a "smoking double standard" where women's smoking is seen as less desirable and less acceptable than men's smoking (Triandafilidis, Ussher, Perz, & Huppatz, 2017, p. 1450). However, the two female participants (one e-cigarette user, one cigarette smoker) appeared to experience less tension resulting from their smoking, generally recounting fewer identity gaps than the males in the group.…”

“Sit Yourself Down”: Women’s Experiences of Negotiating Physical Activity During Pregnancy

“…Feminist analyses of the medicalization of pregnancy and the surveillance of pregnant bodies have shown that in contemporary 'Western' contexts, pregnant women are positioned as responsible for their fetus' health (Lupton, 1999(Lupton, , 2012Warin, Zivkovic, Moore, & Davies, 2012). They are expected to modify their practices during pregnancy to protect the 'vulnerable' fetus from all potential risks and threats (Lupton, 1999(Lupton, , 2012 and are subjected to continuous public surveillance and critical gazes which challenge 'deviant' practices (Burton-Jeangros, 2011;Greene, Ion, Kwaramba, Lazarus, & Loutfy, 2017;Lupton, 1999Lupton, , 2012Parsons, Ismail, Amiel, & Forbes, 2014;Triandafilidis, Ussher, Perz, & Huppatz, 2016). The way in which PA practices during pregnancy are interpreted within these discourses of risk and maternal responsibility may vary.…”