Do women feel colder than men in the office? – Trade

In our newsroom there are computers, televisions, recording studios and other equipment to help us do our daily work.

There is also a white wool coat (although dust and use have given a shade slightly yellowish).

It is of small size, has no owner and, at some time or another, we have used all the female BBC World.

And in this office, as in many others from around the world, most of the time, but especially in summer, women are dying of cold.

temperature difference

There is a magic or chance coincidence. According to a pair of researchers-men, for just in case the problem is that most of the offices set temperature according to an old formula from the 60 it takes as a benchmark the metabolic rate (or BMR) of men.

To be more specific, that of a 40-year-old and 70 kilos of weight.

This index calculates the heat your body needs dispel the environment

“But the metabolism of women is generally slower than that of men, and this means that require a slightly warmer environment to lose less heat and maintain a stable body temperature” , tells the BBC Boris Kingma, a biophysicist at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, and co-author of the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

The difference is largely due to the women they tend to be smaller and have more body fat, which has a slower than muscle tissue metabolic rate.

The current formula is consistent with the composition of the workforce of half a century ago formed mostly by men, but today, the study says, “the model overestimates heat output of female at rest up to 35%.”

Another factor that does not include, say the authors, is the wardrobe: the female in summer tend to use more fresh clothes that leave the body more exposed, while many men wear tie and suit

Raise the temperature

Beyond to agree to female in the battle to control the thermostat, the study recommends reducing gender discrimination in relation to thermal comfort maintaining offices to a warmer temperature during the summer, to generate less energy to combat global warming.

also proposed adjusting the model including variables such as tissue body:. the over weight, for example, tend to heat up more quickly and older, have slower metabolisms

But how do to conform to both sexes, some prefer to be a average of 22 (men) and other at 25?

To Kingma the solution is simple. “You can refrigerate unless the building in summer and who feel heat, can change their clothes,” explains the researcher told the BBC.

“Or you can cool some areas where it is deemed necessary,” adds .

Poncho to work

New Broadcasting House, the new headquarters of the BBC in Oxford Circus to which BBC recently moved more than three , was planned with the old thermal model in mind.

“We have a building design based on the knowledge of more than a decade, which emits a mixture of fresh air and conditioned in all offices around 21 degrees, “he explains Scott Noble, director of operations of the facility.

” But a few years ago, when the building was fully occupied, we realized that time and knowledge (about to refrigeration) had advanced “he added.

Now, the temperature of the offices at the level of the desks is about 23, says,” more in line with current scientific theories. “