Health and safety at work : a sociological review of gender and smoking practices at the University of Malta

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to study how stress is related to gender with special reference to smoking. I will try to find out whether, women smoke more when they are under pressure and are affected differently to men, due to certain biological differences between the two sexes. Chapter One is the Introduction and the Literature Review. This chapter deals with theory; both old and new perspectives are analysed, components of tobacco smoke and the particles that are released from cigarettes. It also deals with the new regulations of the European Union, Gender and Smoking and some case studies. Chapter Two is the Research Methodology that includes the research process and the type of research used, in this case quantitative research. In this chapter one may find the problems encountered; problems encountered during the interviews and problems encountered when analysing the data. Chapter Three deals with the Analysis and Results. In this chapter one may find the variables studied and the results for each study. The tables with the percentages for the studies are included within this chapter. The Chi-Square tests for each table can be found in Appendices 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Chapter Four is the final chapter which deals with the Conclusions and Recommendations of this study. There are the conclusions of each sub group and general conclusions. The recommendations are suggestions of how to improve the quality of life at the University of Malta as regards to smoking.