The pandemic crisis is not yet over. Many countries have already eased with their lockdowns but still, recommend that citizens wear face masks when going outside to control the spread of the deadly disease.
However, some people are refusing to follow this rule. In a survey conducted on nearly 2,500 American adults, the researchers found that men were more likely to be put off of wearing masks by perceived stigma.
According to the study, men also see wearing face masks as 'not cool, shameless and a sign of weakness.' About 8% of men compared to 5% of women said that they would definitely not wear a face mask when going outside of their homes.
Men Less Likely to Believe COVID-19 will Severely Impact Them
Making face masks mandatory has a bigger impact on men than women, according to the researchers from Middlesex University London in U.K. and the Mathematical Science Research Institute in Berkeley, California.
Market Watch reported that men believe that they are less likely to be severely impacted by COVID-19. However, this finding is particularly ironic since previous researches confirm that men are more susceptible to the virus.
In places such as Italy, Spain, and New York City, more men have died from COVID-19 compared to women.
In their study, the researchers surveyed 2,459 US adults- 1,266 were men, while 1,183 of them were women and ten individuals who did not disclose their gender. They were asked to rate questionnaires from zero to ten in how likely they were to wear face masks when going outside their homes, interacting with other people, and engaging in social activities.
Additionally, they were asked how they feel while wearing a mask and what they think of it- whether they find it refreshing, not cool, shameful or a sign of weakness. Their location was also recorded and whether wearing of face mask is a mandatory in their area or if the so-called 'shelter-in-place' rules applied.
Their findings revealed that men are more unlikely to wear face masks when outside of the home (187 vs 136). Moreover, it also suggests that men strongly disagreed with the suggestion that they would 'wear a mask during activities.'
Additionally, Daily Mail reported that men are also more likely to say that wearing a face mask is not cool, shameful, and a sign of weakness.
But all in all, both men and women tend to wear face masks in areas where it is currently mandatory.
History of Gender Differences in Wearing Face Masks
Historically speaking, a 2014 literature review published in the Singapore Medical Journal said that women were reportedly more likely to wear face masks during the 2003 SARS outbreak in Hong Kong and the H1N1 outbreak.
They are less willing to take risks of getting infected; that is why they are more compliant than men on preventive behavior.
According to a 2010 historical analysis of public-health lessons gleaned during the 1918 influenza pandemic, the historical event has presented an opportunity for public health authorities to adopt a more manly style of health education.
It opened to realizations that masculine resistance to hygiene rules are associated with mothers, schoolmarms, and Sunday school teachers who could be replaced by a modern and manly form of public health emphasizing discipline, patriotism, and personal responsibility for one's health.
