Vox pop: Women and Smoking

Smoking has always been a taboo in our society. Although it is injurious for both men's and women's health, our patriarchal society looks down upon female smoking while men smoking is just accepted socially. As the only thing, people have fixed in their mind when they hear the word women is; shy, lowkey, and reserved. But in this 21st century, modern women are breaking the stigma and stereotype of this patriarchal society. People of different sectors have shared their opinions about the biased views of society on women smoking.

Surakshya Shrestha, graduated from Reliance College

Although I do not smoke, I honestly find women who smoke very bold. Keeping health hazards aside, I feel they are carefree, daring, and also breaking the taboo that society has set. But our community is deeply rooted in its own culture. They think that a woman should have disgraced and live within a boundary that has been made by our society. Once they find a woman smoking, they start to shame them.

Manju Bantawa, teacher

Being a mother of two daughters and a teacher, it actually aches my heart to see teenagers smoking. Most of the parents think that their children are walking in the right path, but when I see them smoking it actually makes me feel sad. To me, it doesn’t matter if it's a son or daughter, it is bad for everyone's health. If I ever get to know my daughters smoking, it would obviously break me, but I’ll talk to them and try to make them aware of the effects that smoking can cause.

Dibya Pradhan, client service executive of Advani Advertising Pvt Ltd

Everyone knows what effect smoking does and they obviously know what is good for them. So, it is upto them and their choices to decide whether to smoke or not. Actually, the thing is, most teenagers are getting highly influenced by watching movies, as they think it will make them look cool. If I ever see my sister or my future partner smoking, I would be more worried and concerned about their health. And on top of that, if they are a chain smoker then I would definitely urge them to quit smoking. I would have done the same even if it was for my brother or any other male friends. Cigarettes do not harm a specific gender more than another. Hence, male or female, it affects both the same.

Astha RL Rana, graduated from Amity University Delhi, India

Most girls, including me, smoke to relax and deal with any kind of emotions like sadness and frustration. It releases our dopamine and we feel a sense of pleasure. I think it's the same for both men and women. Since we live in a patriarchal society, when someone sees a woman smoking, they are judged and labeled as unfeminine. However, things are changing, women are getting modern and started doing what they want to. Despite the fact that smoking is dangerous, we should not be shamed more for doing it just because we are women. I don’t think that anyone should be judged because they smoke. Our society still holds the ideologies made by our ancestors that a woman should do only household work, should not talk loudly, and keep their opinion. They are not allowed to be independent and want them to follow what their husband and their family members say.

NepalNews does not encourage smoking as it is injurious to health.