Cigarette Smoking and the Disenfranchisement of Adolescent Girls: A Discourse of Resistance?

Abstract

The consequences of smoking for women are of particular concern in light of recent observations that more adolescent females than males are taking up smoking. To date, few studies have explored gender differences in depth, but we do know that males and females smoke for different reasons and that current smoking prevention programs may be differentially effective depending on gender. Recent evidence suggests that the school environment may have an important influence on smoking. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore gender differences in the relationships between cigarette smoking and adolescents' experiences of school climate and their relationships with the school and significant adults in their lives. A secondary data analysis was done using a data set derived from a student survey conducted in 20 secondary schools in British Columbia (BC), Canada, which included 8,179 students in grades 8 to 12. Analyses were primarily descriptive. The results demonstrated that adolescent girls who smoke are more likely than either males or nonsmoking females to experience powerlessness in their school environment and to feel considerably less attachment to the school. Female smokers are more likely than males or female nonsmokers to be engaged in oppositional, distanced, and unsatisfactory relationships with important adults in their lives, particularly those who are in positions of relative power and authority. These findings are discussed in relation to critical and feminist perspectives that suggest smoking is part of a larger discourse of resistance within schools. The implications for health practitioners are discussed.

Embodied Discrimination: The Relation of Sexism and Distress to Women’s Drinking and Smoking Behaviors

“…Alcohol and nicotine use can be conceptualized as direct coping behaviors. Although the empirical literature on the actual stress-reducing uses of those substances is mixed (Bray et al, 1999;Ng & Jeffery, 2003), our data are consistent with the few studies that have demonstrated increased substance use in situations that were not generically stressful, but were stressful in some way that can be connected to sexism or to women's low status (Bray et al, 1999;Jacobson, 1986;MacDonald & Wright, 2002). Our data also parallel some of the findings that racism is a stressor (e.g., Gurthrie et al, 2002;Williams et al, 2003).…”

“…In terms of sexist stress, MacDonald and Wright (2002) found that girls who experience powerlessness at school and at home were more likely to smoke. MacDonald and Wright attributed much of the girls' powerlessness to sexist practices that dictate hegemonic femininity and masculinity; thus, such smoking may be seen as one response to sexism in the environment.…”

Industry sponsored anti-smoking ads and adolescent reactance: test of a boomerang effect

“…15 23-25 Although little is known about individual differences in psychological reactance among adolescents, other indicators of their oppositional attitudes toward authority are associated with tobacco use. 26 For example, adolescents who rejected parental authority over tobacco and alcohol use were approximately four times more likely to smoke and drink. 27 Similarly, adolescents' evaluations of and responses to proscriptions about substance use from other sources, such as advertisements, may be explained by individual differences in psychological reactance.…”

Resisting Gendered Smoking Pressures: Critical Consciousness as a Correlate of Women's Smoking Status

“…Several studies have shown that, in addition to smoking for weight control, women may smoke for reasons that are related to their lower social status, or because they feel trapped in the roles of wife and mother (Bancroft, Wiltshire, Parry, & Amos, 2003;Graham, 1992;Jacobson, 1982;MacDonald & Wright, 2002;Pohl & Caplan, 1998). For instance, Jacobson quoted one woman who said "I think I smoke from boredom and despair, there being no foreseeable end to my marriage predicament" (p. 42).…”

“…Social values and beliefs regarding gender provide a social structure that shapes smoking behavior (Graham, 1992;Jacobson, 1982;MacDonald & Wright, 2002;Pfau, Nelson, & Moster, 1996). American girls and women are subject to pressures to attain an unrealistically thin body (e.g., , and, as a result, many women internalize extreme beauty standards (Bordo, 1993;Chernin, 1981;Wolf, 1991) and are discontented with their bodies (Cash & Henry, 1995;Field et al, 1999;Rodin, Silberstein, & Striegel-Moore, 1984).…”