Science says cold offices are biased against women

The research claims that indoor climate control systems are based on models from the 1960s that only consider the metabolic rates of men, which are 35 per cent faster than those of women.

As a result, women who work in climate-controlled offices feel colder than their male colleagues. That explains the blankets and hot water bottles stashed in desk drawers.

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Joost van Hoof, a building physicist at Fontys University of Applied Sciences told The New York Times that women’s physiology and wardrobe choices are also factors in feeling the office freeze.

“Many men, they wear suits and ties, and women tend to dress sometimes with cleavage. The cleavage is closer to the core of the body, so the temperature difference between the air temperature and the body temperature there is higher when it’s cold. I wouldn’t overestimate the effect of cleavage, but it’s there.”

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So what can you do to stay warm? The study says women should change the temperature setting formula to take account of their lower metabolic rate.

"The main points here are that thermal comfort models need to adjust the current metabolic standard by including the actual values for females."

Related: Five ways to boost your productivity

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