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Why men are less likely to wear masks

43 replies

Kaiserin · 19/07/2020 10:49

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-53446827

I just saw this.
I'm not sure how I feel about this (the facts being reported, and the way these facts are being reported)

Thoughts?

OP posts:
StatisticalSense · 19/07/2020 17:33

I think there are multiple reasons that go beyond what is mentioned in the article. Firstly it is mostly the older generation who are wearing masks and on average women live longer than men meaning older women make up a bigger proportion of all women than older men do of men. Secondly it is much easier to obtain a reusable mask in a traditionally feminine pattern or colour than in a masculine pattern which will put many men off trying to find a mask. Asos even includes all of their face coverings in the women's section and simply redirects men looking for a face covering to the women's section which overwhelmingly features photos of women wearing the masks. Even if the product states it is gender neutral if the pictures are of a woman wearing it many men won't buy it as the pictures are more prominent than the text.

commentatorz · 19/07/2020 17:40

Agree, also getting in some sly dig about altruism is a complete red herring as everyone here know compliance at the moment with mask wearing is near-zero with near-zero difference between men and women.

If the reason for wearing masks from next week is "altruism", why wouldn't people already be wearing them. Just complete nonsense.

okiedokieme · 19/07/2020 18:41

Taking the train, no under 40 ish men wore masks, all under 30 ish bar one women did wear masks, all over 30's wore masks. It was very marked difference

annabel85 · 19/07/2020 20:18

In other words, men are physically safer when they do whatever the fuck they want.

The vast majority of homicide victims (and stab victims) are men (mostly by other men).

There's limits to what they can get away with.

Gwynfluff · 19/07/2020 20:43

Men don’t obey laws or rules as much as women. It’s multifactoral and I believe socially determined rather than innate. But they don’t. Look at the prison population figures. Rather than spending lots of time considering anecdata and head counts of who’ve people might have observed on the bus, it would be better to do the research and construct the campaigns so they make sense to men.

annabel85 · 19/07/2020 21:01

A lot of it is a sort of Trumpian, reactionary, Libertarian 'disdain for the nanny state' which is innate in particularly middle aged white males.

Then there's the vanity aspect of mostly younger men who think it impacts on their manhood. The type of male who'd rather get soaked to the skin than be seen under an umbrella.

Women are less fussy and just get on with it.

user1493494961 · 20/07/2020 14:05

My DH has already said he won't wear one.

knittingaddict · 20/07/2020 14:28

Any reason why not user1493494961? What is he going to do then, not go to any indoor places?

OpheliasCrayon · 20/07/2020 16:54

My husband is much more happy to wear one than I am. He doesn't mind at all, I will be doing so of course, but extremely begrudgingly

HesterShaw1 · 20/07/2020 16:56

The rules on masks are simply there to get people shopping again.

ACrashInTheNines · 20/07/2020 18:20

Do people seriously believe that masks do anything at all?

HesterShaw1 · 20/07/2020 18:29

@ACrashInTheNines

Do people seriously believe that masks do anything at all?
Yes this. They're bring used as a state mandated psychological prop that's all.
MinesAPintOfTea · 20/07/2020 21:31

How do you think it spreads? So long as it is in any way droplet/airborne, masks will reduce the infection rate. That means we can do more social mixing than without masks

They aren't perfect, but they help.

ACrashInTheNines · 20/07/2020 22:52

The definitive RCT on them showed a possible maximum reduction of 3%, which was negated by the disadvantages of mask wearing in a non sterile environment.

They've probably worse than nothing, but people can't seem to comprehend that.

knittingaddict · 20/07/2020 23:16

Are you a scientist ACrashInTheNines? Can you link to the data on this?

knittingaddict · 20/07/2020 23:27

Do people seriously believe that masks do anything at all?

Is that you EnlightenedOwl?

ACrashInTheNines · 20/07/2020 23:45

I'm not a scientist, no, but I've worked in academia dealing with research impact scores, but not for biology. There are shady dealings going on with mask efficacy studies published prior to COVID, retractions and withdrawals that are almost certainly political. Look at BBC journalist Deborah Cohen's Twitter feed for what she encountered when trying to host a balanced program on masks, including where she stated that many people were saying that the WHO had only changed their stance due to political pressure, and that the WHO didn't deny it.
For example, this study has a letter recently attached from the authors, which basically contradicts the findings of their own study: bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/4/e006577.long
(

ACrashInTheNines · 20/07/2020 23:50

This journal article was removed at the end of June, fortunately it was saved in the web archive: web.archive.org/web/20200509053953/https:/www.oralhealthgroup.com/features/face-masks-dont-work-revealing-review/

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