女性在工作中感到冷的原因

女性在工作中感到冷的原因

Once I settled into my first office job, I realized I was going to need two things to do my job well: a blanket and a space heater. The office was freezing. In fact, most offices are colder than what I would call comfortable. Thankfully, since that first job, I haven't had to bring my own heavy-duty heating supplies to work. However, nearly every woman I know makes sure to have a sweater on hand at the office — even on 90-degree days.

当我开始我的第一份办公室工作时，我意识到我需要两样东西来做好我的工作:一条毯子和暖气。办公室里很冷。事实上，大多数办公室都比我所说的舒适要冷。值得庆幸的是，从第一份工作开始，我就不用自己带重型供暖设备去上班了。然而，我认识的几乎每个女性都会确保在办公室里有一件毛衣——即使是在90度的天气里。

Indoor climate control formulas were calculated with men in mind. It may be time to re-do the math a bit. (Photo: alphaspirit/Shutterstock)

And now we know why.

现在我们知道为什么了。

Researchers Boris Kingma and Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt argue in their study published in the journal Nature Climate Change that indoor climates such as offices and residential buildings are based on the needs of men, not women, as Lloyd Alter explained when he looked into why our offices feel like walk-in coolers.

研究人员鲍里斯·金马和沃特·范·马肯·利滕·贝尔特在《自然气候变化》杂志上发表的研究报告中称，室内气候，如办公室和住宅建筑，是以男性的需求为基础的，而不是女性，正如劳埃德·阿尔特在研究为什么我们的办公室感觉像冷藏室时解释的那样。

Not only does this lead to a large percentage of the workforce feeling like they are battling hypothermia, it also means a less energy-efficient workplace. The study suggests that by adjusting the temperature to factor in the female body's metabolic rate, we can make women more comfortable and save energy.

这不仅会让大部分员工觉得他们正在与体温过低做斗争，也意味着工作场所的能源效率会降低。研究表明，通过调节温度来调节女性身体的新陈代谢率，我们可以让女性更舒适，节约能量。

Based on an old model

以旧模型为基础

The original formula for indoor climate regulation standards was created in the 1960s. One key number in that thermal comfort model is the metabolic rate of a human. Who is the base model used to represent all human needs? A 40-year-old man who weighs 154 pounds.

最初的室内气候调节标准制定于20世纪60年代。热舒适模型中的一个关键数字是人体的代谢率。谁是用来代表所有人类需求的基本模型?一个40岁的男人，体重154磅。

As women tend to be smaller than men and have a higher percentage of body fat, they have lower metabolic rates. In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, men have a metabolic rate that is about 23% higher than women's. Older people also tend to have lower metabolic rates. The study authors believe that in order to make work environments comfortable for both men and women, the formula should be adjusted to factor in the needs of both sexes and all ages.

由于女性往往比男性更小，身体脂肪的比例更高，所以她们的代谢率更低。事实上，根据发表在《应用生理学杂志》上的一项研究，男性的代谢率比女性高约23%。老年人的新陈代谢率也比较低。该研究的作者认为，为了让工作环境对男性和女性都舒适，模型应该根据性别和所有年龄段的需求进行调整。

Metabolic rates weren't the only factor the authors acknowledged when it comes to men and women's preferences for temperature. They note that in some professions, many men wear suits that require a shirt, jacket and long pants, while many women favor lighter clothes including sleeveless tops or dresses and skirts. How much clothing one wears also contributes to the problem.

代谢率并不是研究人员承认的影响男性和女性对温度偏好的唯一因素。他们指出，在一些职业中，许多男性穿的西装需要衬衫、夹克和长裤，而许多女性喜欢较轻的衣服，包括无袖上衣或连衣裙和裙子。一个人穿多少衣服也会导致这个问题。

Kingma and van Marken Lichtenbelt conclude that by changing the formula, and therefore saving countless women from shivering at their desks, we could remove the bias against women that currently exists. And, as an added bonus, raising the temperature by a few degrees would help reduce the energy consumption of office buildings. A win for women and for the planet.

金马和范马尔肯·利希滕贝尔特得出结论，通过改变这种模式，从而使无数女性免于在办公桌前瑟瑟发抖，我们可以消除目前存在的对女性的偏见。另外，把温度提高几度还有助于降低办公楼的能耗。这是女性和地球的胜利。