Culture

My office sweaters and heaters are apparently oppressing me

By on • ( 18 Comments )

I am always cold. Even in the summeryime I sleep under a blanket. Not so much because I am cold but because it feels odd to not have a blanket. Now, I am always cold but there are others who tend to feel colder. My hands can ice up, but my sister feels cold in 80 degree weather. I kid you not. That is a bit extreme for me. Probably for most other people as well. I honestly can not comprehend feeling cold in 80 degree weather. But here is the thing, women tend to feel colder than men. It’s part of the never-ending room temperature fight.

What truly defines room-temperature? For many that may be 65 degrees and for others that is 80 degrees. For men and women there are stark differences. And those have been the point of heated discussions this past week due to news media highlighting research regarding temperatures and women’s optimal brain environment.

Here’s the thing. Past research has found that many workspaces use climate control systems based on the average metabolic rate of men. Not cool. Or rather very cool in the pun sense of the word. Supposedly, the ideal temperature for women is around five degrees warmer than it is for men. Women can function better in warmer temperatures. That would be why I always have sweaters and heaters in my offices. My office sweaters and heaters are apparently oppressing me. Well, not really. They help me, and other women according to a recently released study, reach optimal brain function and power in a higher set room temperature. No wonder I am so productive. Although, it would surely be nice if I didn’t have to travel with a heater under my arm.

Categories: Culture, current events, gender, Psychology, society, women, workplace

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18 replies »

  1. Eugh, this is one I empathise with. I seem to be perpetually cold. My body doesn’t regulate temperature well, so my arms feel cold and get goosebumps even when I see people waltzing around t-shirts and shorts. But I think my body can still overheat without me knowing it as I feel unwell and my back can be burning, but the rest of me is freezing. Odd. I’m still in layers of jumpers and wearing gloves. Sucks. I feel for you carrying around that heater!
    Caz xx

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  2. Hmm.. my Brain is always smoking and i haven’t worn long pants since 2013.. the 6 Years before
    That i Literally got
    Chilled if a Breeze
    Touched me
    In 100 F Degree
    Temps.. Now i
    Stay Climate
    Controlled not
    Sure how it started
    Working But it does..
    After I quit Working
    For
    Pay must
    Have Been
    Allergic to
    MaKinG Money..:)

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      • It’s Florida but
        It occasionally
        Snows and
        Is Hotter
        Than Hades
        HeaR so the
        Devil Wears
        Shorts instead
        Of Prada as i
        Always Am
        Kidding about
        That Born on
        6.6.60 and
        HAha i
        Am not
        Internet
        Fishing
        For A
        Birthday
        Gift as the
        Devil Doesn’t
        Need anything
        But Shorts in
        The Snow
        Of Winter
        Leading
        The
        Sun
        Day
        Choir
        From ‘the’
        BacK Pew RoW hehe..:)

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  3. My internal thermostat doesn’t work (no, it’s not my thyroid, or menopause; it’s the cfs that bedevils the rest of my life), so I spend all day putting more clothes on and taking some off (handy to work at home as a writer) even though we have the apartment thermostat set up with a comfort range.

    The husband seems to have less of a problem – male metabolism?

    I use to sit in grad student/faculty meetings in the Nuclear Engineering dept. at U. W.-Madison wearing my puffy winter coat, while the male grad students wore shorts and sandals (with socks) in the dead of winter. I was often the only woman there.

    Makes you kind of question your sanity – but it is our metabolism vs. that of the ranking males? Good to know.

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  5. This is one of the things I absolutely love about working from home. We weren’t even allowed heaters where I used to work, so I always had a stash of warm clothes with me – even in the middle of summer!

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I welcome your thoughts