Cigarette smoking among women is a more recent phenomenon than it is for men.
Whereas tobacco consumption was already very high in British men at the start of World War II, British women only took to smoking in large numbers from this time onwards.
Smoking in British men began to decline in the early 1960s as influential reports, such as those from the Royal College of Physicians, linking smoking and cancer, were widely publicized.
These reports were thought to be a critical factor in reducing the incidence of smoking in men; particularly those who were better educated and had higher incomes.
Smoking rates in women continued to rise as women became more active in social roles and fields of work that had been dominated by men.
Smoking in women peaked in the early 1970s, and now, as in men, is firmly on a declining trend.
Early in the twentieth century cigarette advertising was aimed only at men.
But as the 1920s brought women new freedoms, American tobacco companies quickly recognized the potential of the female market.
Chesterfield advertisements in 1926 had young women pleading to young men smokers "Blow some my way".
By using the slogan "Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet" American Tobacco was able to sell cigarettes to women as an alleged means of losing weight.
In a series of massive advertising campaigns, the company appealed directly to women, using testimonials from well-known women such as Amelia Earhart, the famous flyer, and film star Jean Harlow.
In the 1970s cigarette manufacturers marketed brands that identified smoking with female liberation.
Philip Morris launched Virginia Slims with the slogan "You've come a long way, baby", and by 1976 it had become the women's cigarette.
In Britain the slogan was changed to "We've come long, long way" in response to objections to the sexist "Baby" slogan, but otherwise the theme of the woman who discovers her emancipation through her cigarettes remained the same.
The early 1980s saw tennis player Martina Navratilova promoting British American Tobacco's production worldwide television as her dress at Wimbledon sported the Kim logo.
The Effect of Smoking on Women It is a myth that women are immune to the adverse effects of cigarette smoking.
In men and women, the prevalence of all major types of chronic respiratory diseases (bronchitis, asthma, impaired breathing) is directly related to the level of smoking.
Similarly, as women have begun to smoke more, their incidence of lung cancer has shown steady rise.
Additionally, women who take birth control pills are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease if they smoke cigarettes.
There is even evidence that cigarette smoking affects some aspects of the sexuality of women.
Smoking more than half a packet of cigarettes per day is associated with a higher incidence of infertility.
Irregular menstrual cycles are more prevalent among women who smoke cigarettes.
The number of years of potential fertility is also reduced.
Menopause occurs earlier among women who smoke.
The Effects of Smoking on Offspring The effects of cigarette smoking on pregnancy, birth weight, and infant health have been studied extensively.
Babies born to women who smoke are an average of 200 grams (about 7 ounces) lighter than baby's horn to nonsmokers.
This is important since birth weight is an excellent predictor of infant health.
It appears that this retarded growth is caused by hypoxia or decreased oxygen available to the fetus.
This is partly due tithe carbon monoxide delivered by smoke inhalation.
Another effect of cigarette smoking during pregnancy into increase the likelihood of spontaneous abortions.
In fact, the risk is almost double for women who smoke.
Smoking also increases the risk of congenital malformations.
This, likes many other effects of smoking, is directly related to the amount of smoking.
Levels of smoking are also associated with a variety of other complications during pregnancy and labour.
These include increased risk of bleeding and premature rupture of membranes.
Finally, there is a clear relationship between smoking during pregnancy and the occurrence of the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Babies born to cigarette smokers develop more slowly throughout childhood than babies born to nonsmokers.
They are more likely to have neurological (brain function) disorders, psychological abnormalities, and lower intelligence scores.
Until adolescence, children of mothers who smoke10 or more cigarettes per day remain about three to five months behind children of nonsmokers in reading, mathematics, and general ability scores.
Cigarette smoking during pregnancy is also a significant risk factor for hyperkinesias in children.
The mechanisms that underlie the harmful effects of smoking on the fetus and infants may be hypoxia (oxygen starvation) due to the CO carried by the smoke into the lungs.
Nicotine, which crosses the placenta, may raise the blood pressure and thus induce slowing of the heart.
Tar also crosses the placental barrier but detrimental effects have not been clearly proved to date.
These data make it clear that cigarette smoking is a risk factor for both motherlands infant.
While smoking does not ensure damage, it is unavoidable risk factor.
Since much of the risk is to the child-to-be, the responsibility of the mother is great indeed.