Women @ Mazzetti – Increasing Temperatures & Numbers

Halfway through the year of 2019, which means, the summer heat is rising! Likewise, as of the month of July, our % of women at Mazzetti and our % of women in technical positions continue to rise.

A quick update re Women@Mazzetti activity… We are forming a women-in-leadership mentoring program. The goal – for employees at Mazzetti to have access to and mentorship from women in Mazzetti’s leadership. Over the next few months, we will be interviewing the mentors and sharing their knowledge gems both internally and externally (spreading the wealth!)

Recently, we came across an article from NPR, “Battle For the Thermostat,” discussing research analyzing how temperature affects the productivity and cognitive abilities of men and women differently. The study reports a 10-15% increase in math and verbal performance for women and a 3% decrease for men when the temperature changes from the 60’s to mid-70’s (Fahrenheit). The study implies an interesting question then – how do we design temperature for gender-mixed spaces?

Our Mazzetti-ites brought up a few good points regarding gender versus temperature. One thing to note is how clothing factors into the results; women on average probably wear less clothing or thinner clothing than men, hence making them more susceptible to cold temperatures than men. Alternatively, if the office temperature were higher, then men would likely be uncomfortable due to their increased clothing coverage compared to women. Another point to keep in mind is that heat loss relates to surface area and mass. Women on average have a smaller build than men; therefore, women generally dissipate heat more quickly than men.

At a minimum, we can conclude that temperature can yield a significant effect on the people, for which, we design spaces. Awareness is step #1. Curious to hear your thoughts… Check out the references below and share your thoughts on how we can achieve the “right” temperature for all!

References:

NPR, “The Battle For The Office Thermostat”

PLOS, “Battle for the thermostat: Gender and the effect of temperature on cognitive performance”