If you're a woman working in an office, you probably have both a blazer and a blanket stashed away in your desk, and chances are you're using one or both of them on the hottest day of the year.
The reason? Air conditioning turns offices into ice boxes and most men don't even notice.
A new study published in the Journal of Nature Climate Change says that office buildings are setting their temperature based on an old formula which is calculated using the metabolic rate of a 40-year old man weighing more than 154 pounds.
And this doesn't even take into account the differences between the clothing men and women wear in the summer. While most summer clothes for women are designed with thinner fabrics and shorter hemlines, many men's wardrobes remain unchanged, with some offices still insisting men wear suits to work.
Curious as to how the cold air affects women, researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands also monitored the metabolic rates of office workers and found that the women's rates were 20 to 32 per cent lower than their male counterparts, The Star explains.
Setting the temperature a little higher won't just benefit women — according to the researchers, a warmer office can also also help combat global warming, the New York Times reports.
As scientist Boris Kingma explains, “if you have a more accurate view of the thermal demand of the people inside, then you can design the building so that you are wasting a lot less energy."
Do you find your office unbearably cold? Tell us how you stay warm in the comments below and share your cozy office pictures with us on Instagram too.
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