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But when it comes to these crucial habits, it appears that women are more likely to follow these steps to a greater extent than men, according to a new study.
To reach their conclusions, researchers from New York University and Yale University examined data from surveys, street observations, and analysis of smartphone movements.
Their survey of 800 people found that women were more likely than men to say they maintained social distance, stayed home, washed their hands frequently, and interacted less with family and friends. The only measure that did not have a gender difference was the frequency of contact with people other than friends or family.
However, self-reported behavior does not always accurately represent actual behavior, so the researchers also observed pedestrians and mask wearing in three different US locations: New York City, New Haven, Connecticut, and New Brunswick, NJ, to see how many people wore masks.
They found that 55% of women wore masks correctly compared to 38% of men, despite the gender distribution in these zip codes being roughly equal. They observed 127 women and 173 men from May 4-5 this year.
In the third part of their study, to measure social distancing among the general American population, the researchers used GPS data from 15 million smartphones to track general movement and visits to non-essential stores such as spas, florists and gyms between March 9 and 9. May 29.
The results showed that counties with a higher percentage of men showed comparatively less social distancing. These differences, the researchers said, held true even after accounting for Covid-19 cases per capita in these counties, the presence of stay-at-home orders, and other demographic characteristics, such as income, education, and profession, which could influence whether people worked from home or were more likely to work in sectors considered essential.
“Previous research before the pandemic shows that women visited doctors more frequently in their daily lives and followed their recommendations more than men,” said Irmak Olcaysoy Okten, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Psychology at New York University and lead author of the article, in a press release.
“They also pay more attention to the health-related needs of others,” Okten said. “So it is not surprising that these trends translate into greater efforts on behalf of women to prevent the spread of the pandemic.”
He added that adjusting health messages to better target men could be an effective strategy to reduce the spread of the virus.
“Legislators could target men’s illusions of invulnerability … and remind them of their responsibilities to each other and to themselves during this critical period. Spreading prevention messages, particularly in places where men frequently gather, can be an effective strategy, “the study suggested.
