Women and smoking in the United Kingdom: the implications for health promotion

This article charts the changing patterns of women's smoking in the United Kingdom over the last four decades, a period in which the smoking of cigarettes has become increasingly associated with social disadvantage. Important among these associations are the links that have emerged between cigarette smoking and women in the lower social classes. Recognizing that these links have not been thoroughly researched, the author reviews the evidence that sheds light on the place of smoking in the lives of women in low-income households, focusing on one group of women in which smoking prevalence is high: those caring for young children. Through two approaches to the question of women's smoking—a historical context and the everyday context of women's lives—the article is intended to complement and extend the psychological research on women and smoking. Cigarette smoking provides a way of seeing the relationship between social structure and individual behaviour, offering a case study through which a health promotion perspective can be developed and evaluated.