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‘As Long as It Comes off as a Cigarette Ad, Not a Civil Rights Message’: Gender, Inequality and the Commercial Determinants of Health

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  • Sarah E. Hill

    (Global Health Policy Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9LD, UK
    Members of the SPECTRUM Consortium (Shaping Public Health Policies to Reduce Inequalities and Harm), UK.)

  • Sharon Friel

    (Menzies Centre for Health Governance, School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet), Australian National University, Canberra ACT0200, Australia
    Members of the SPECTRUM Consortium (Shaping Public Health Policies to Reduce Inequalities and Harm), UK.)

Abstract

Scholarship on the commercial determinants of health (CDoH) has sought to understand the multiple ways corporate policies, practices and products affect population health. At the same time, gender is recognised as a key determinant of health and an important axis of health inequalities. To date, there has been limited attention paid to the ways in which the CDoH engage with and impact on gender inequalities and health. This review seeks to address this gap by examining evidence on the practices and strategies of two industries—tobacco and alcohol—and their interaction with gender, with a particular focus on women. We first describe the practices by which these industries engage with women in their marketing and corporate social responsibility activities, reinforcing problematic gender norms and stereotypes that harm women and girls. We then examine how tobacco and alcohol companies contribute to gender inequalities through a range of strategies intended to protect their market freedoms and privileged position in society. By reinforcing gender inequalities at multiple levels, CDoH undermine the health of women and girls and exacerbate global health inequalities.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah E. Hill & Sharon Friel, 2020. "‘As Long as It Comes off as a Cigarette Ad, Not a Civil Rights Message’: Gender, Inequality and the Commercial Determinants of Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-19, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:21:p:7902-:d:436457
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Gary J Fooks & Anna B Gilmore, 2013. "Corporate Philanthropy, Political Influence, and Health Policy," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(11), pages 1-11, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Fran Baum & Connie Musolino & Hailay Abrha Gesesew & Jennie Popay, 2021. "New Perspective on Why Women Live Longer Than Men: An Exploration of Power, Gender, Social Determinants, and Capitals," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-23, January.
    2. Anna Matheson & Jacquie Kidd & Heather Came, 2021. "Women, Patriarchy and Health Inequalities: The Urgent Need to Reorient Our Systems," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-4, April.

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