Why Women Are Taking the COVID-19 Pandemic More Seriously Than Men
- Researchers say women are taking the COVID-19 pandemic more seriously than men and are better at following safety measures.
- They say the gender gap is similar to past research on male and female attitudes on healthcare in general.
- Experts say the messaging to men on COVID-19 should be changed to focus more on how they can protect their family instead of just themselves.
It takes a lot of cooperation to fight a pandemic.
This means making changes to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community.
It turns out women may be doing their part more than their male counterparts.
According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, women are more likely than men to take COVID-19 seriously and comply with mitigation efforts.
The team of international researchers says behavior may account for gender differences in mortality. It’s also consistent with more effective responses in countries led by women.
“Policy makers who promote a new normality made of reduced mobility, face masks, and other behavioral changes should, therefore, design a gender-differentiated communication if they want to increase the compliance of men,” said Vincenzo Galasso, PhD, a study author and a professor in the department of social and political sciences at Bocconi University in Italy, in a press statement.
The research included 21,649 men and women in Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Results showed that women are more likely to look at COVID-19 as a serious health problem. And they’re more likely to agree with public policies designed to fight the novel coronavirus.
The biggest differences have to do with behaviors that protect others, such as coughing into the elbow.
Differences are smaller among married couples, couples who live together, and people who’ve been directly affected by the pandemic.
This goes along with other recently published research that indicates that women are more likely to listen to experts when it comes to COVID-19.
In a survey of 800 people, more women said they stayed home more, practiced social or physical distancing, and washed their hands more frequently.
In another study of people in the northeastern United States, 55 percent of women were observed wearing masks properly, compared with 38 percent of men.
Another survey from May involved 2,500 people and found that men in the United States were less inclined to wear face masks than women.
In countries where face coverings are mandatory, the gender divide is smaller.
These health-related behavior differences were around long before COVID-19.
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Dr. Richard Seidman is chief medical officer of L.A. Care Health Plan in California.
He told Healthline that society puts more pressure on men to appear tough.
“Many studies have shown that men are less likely to follow recommendations for routine annual health exams and other preventive measures. Generally speaking, women have been responsible for family health, where men have been more reluctant to talk about health,” said Seidman.
Deborah Beidel, PhD, ABPP, is executive director of UCF Restores in Orlando, Florida.
“The less likely we are to talk about something, the less likely we are to do something about it,” Beidel told Healthline.
She noted a recent study that found these gender differences transcend political party lines.
“Though it’s too early to speculate on why this disparity exists in relation to COVID-19 precautions specifically, psychologically, women are more likely to adopt ‘tend and befriend’ behavior,” she explained.
“Generally speaking, in the aftermath of trauma, women are more likely to seek out children and the elderly to ensure their needs are met. They also seek out and engage with others experiencing the same event, even strangers, in order to form a bond and a circle of care,” continued Beidel.
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