According to a new study, women are more likely than men to adhere to social distancing protocols and wear masks.

The research, published in the journal Behavioral Science & Policy, stated women tend to follow the guidelines outlined by the health administration to contain coronavirus.

The lead author of the study Irmak Olcaysoy Okten from New York University said in a statement: “They also pay more attention to the health-related needs of others. So, it’s not surprising that these tendencies would translate into greater efforts on behalf of women to prevent the spread of the pandemic.”

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The researchers at Yale and New York University reported that women were also more likely to listen to experts and exhibit alarm and anxiety in response to the pandemic.

Methodologies

For the study, the researchers employed three methodologies. These include a survey, on-the-street observations in different containment locations, and a nationwide analysis of movement through GPS data from around 150 million smartphone coordinates.

The authors of the study also noted that women get more anxious and concerned about the novel coronavirus. They also feel responsible for both themselves and others.

In the second analysis, researchers found a greater, and statistically significant, proportion of mask-wearing among women (57.7 per cent) than men (42.3 per cent).

Also read: Risk of death due to Covid-19 rise by 62% for men: Study

In the final study, researchers compared overall movement as well as visits by men and women to non-essential retailers across US counties. Non-essential retailers included restaurants, spas, fitness facilities, and florists, among others.

Olcaysoy Okten concluded: “Fine-tuning health messages to alert men in particular to the critical role of maintaining social distancing, hygiene, and mask-wearing may be an effective strategy in reducing the spread of the virus.”

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