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ABSTRACT
Objective
Women smokers are overlooked because of their current low smoking rates compared to men smokers. However, smoking among women in developing countries, including Indonesia is increasing due to the weakening of social stigma that was previously said to prevent them from uptake cigarettes. The study aimed to explore the stigmatization of smoking women from women’s perspectives.
Methods
We interviewed 39 women—19 smokers and 20 nonsmokers aged 18 years old and above in Banda Aceh and Jakarta representing urban contexts. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using the self-categorization theory where women characterized identity at different levels of inclusiveness.
Results
Our study found most participants perceived the social stigma of women smokers still exists. Women’s viewpoints toward women smokers are situated between challenging and compromising women and their smoking conduct, illustrated by why they smoke, where they choose to smoke, and how the smokers look like.
Conclusion
Women’s perceptions and attitudes toward women smoking provide insights into how the remainder of social judgment can serve as a barrier to capturing accurate information about women smokers and solving smoking-related issues, particularly in developing countries, such as Indonesia. Policymakers and health professionals need to determine and implement more gendered sensitive tobacco control interventions.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge Dr Becky Freeman who reviewed manuscript drafts and provided invaluable feedback on data analysis. We are indebted to the research participants; their voices and experiences are the foundation of this study.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).