Sexism Makes Offices Cold For Women During Summers: Study

The office can turn into a battle of genders over air conditioning with men preferring low temperatures while women shiver.

Many women bundle themselves during summers in office rooms as buildings are cooled but men stroll in with shorts. A letter published in the journal Nature Climate Change states that the difference is due to lower metabolic rates of women, and calls for changes in the way office rooms are cooled.

According to The New York Times, Dr. Boris Kingma and Professor Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt of Maastricht University in Netherlands found that cooling formula used in most offices today dates to the 1960s when workforce largely comprised men. To calculate the ideal temperature, the formula takes into account the resting metabolic rate of a 40-year old 154 pound man.

"We have known for some time now that the metabolic rate of women is 20 to 35% lower than that of men. However, the standard used to determine the ideal indoor climate in public areas and other buildings is based on the metabolic rate of an average man. As a result, buildings may not be used as expected; for example, turning up the thermostat, turning on the heater or drinking more tea or coffee than usual increases the building energy consumption," a press release form the university states.

In the letter, the duo argued that the cooling formula also ignores the differences in clothing. They claim that by considering the physiology and clothing of women in calculating the ideal temperature not only will offices provide comfort to nearly half of the workforce but also lower carbon emissions.