THERMOSTAT TIFFS A HOT TOPIC.
WOMEN EXPERIENCE ‘THERMAL DISCOMFORT’ MORE OFTEN
Arguments over the thermostat aren’t cooling down anytime soon — especially for women. A new study from Ohio State University shows gender is the difference between changing the temperature and changing into a warmer outfit.
The report analyzed 1,568 diary observations from 112 Ohio men and women. One person per household logged their experiences for seven to 14 days.
“It seems like in some cases there’s a dynamic where one person is responsible or takes ownership over the thermostat and other people don’t get to have input into that,” lead author Nicole Sintov, an assistant professor of behaviour, decision-making and sustainability at Ohio State, told CNN.
“We had roommates in the study, we had spouses, we had couples who were not spouses … we do see that gender plays a significant role here.”
The results suggest women need warmer temperatures compared to men and experience “thermal discomfort” more often.
“It’s possible that women are losing the thermostat battle,” Sintov said.
“This hints at a status quo gender bias in thermostat settings that leads to a home thermal environment that does not cater to women’s preferences.”
The findings also looked at how the two genders negotiate the temperature.
“Men are more likely to report agreements and compromises as outcomes, whereas women are marginally more likely to report conflicts,” reads the study.
“One interpretation of these findings is that when men are negotiating for their thermal comfort needs, their negotiation partners may be more likely to ‘give in,’ whereas women may not be met with this same outcome.”
A variety of factors cause a person to feel colder than others. It can be a product of one’s environment growing up, their blood flow, weight and certain medical conditions. But this isn’t the first study to look at how the thermostat hits genders differently.
One paper asserts clothing expectations at workforce women to wear lighter, looser clothing and lead to them being cold more often.
A study published in the journal PLOS also found cooler temperatures hinder a woman’s results in verbal and cognitive tasks.
And, a report from 2015 says buildings are typically designed to accommodate 40-year-old men who weigh approximately 154 pounds.
Other research cited by Sintov and her team in their paper highlights women’s tendency to be more agreeable than men and avoid direct confrontation — both products of gender norms according to the authors.
“Women are less likely than men to initiate a negotiation in the first place; rather, women are more likely to engage when the opportunity to do so is framed politely as “asking” rather than negotiating, the latter of which is perceived by women (but not men) as more intimidating,” reads the study.
“Women … when engaged in a negotiation, may be less likely to achieve desired outcomes, particularly if there is a disagreement, in which case they may compromise or defer to others.”
However, the authors admit the paper does have some limitations.
Because the study only had one person from a household describe their experiences, “it is possible that there are gender differences in how a conversation is perceived and/or reported (e.g., if women are more bothered by a disagreement, they might be more likely to report it, and/or report it as a conflict vs. a compromise).”
The paper also points out “due to the open-ended nature of diary responses” the researchers don’t know if subjects were telling the truth.
“We were unable to determine the direction of thermostat adjustments,” reads the paper.
The timing of the logs may have also influenced results. The study occurred in autumn when temperatures drop.
And, the authors said the sample was small and consisted mostly of middle-aged, white, educated people with higher incomes. It also did not look at genders beyond male and female.