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Extreme temperatures don’t affect everyone equally.
When it’s hot—very hot—we women suffer more than men, and working conditions can become not only exhausting but also dangerous to our health. A woman sweats half as much as a man, so her body is also less able to cool itself. During ovulation, our body temperature also rises, as do pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause. Pregnant women become particularly vulnerable when temperatures rise : their bodies, busy with the growth of the fetus, generate more heat. If dehydration sets in, the electrolyte balance is altered, risking reduced blood flow to the placenta. Heat can also trigger inflammatory processes, and oxidative stress affects fetal development.
These heat waves aren’t something to joke about. Working days with temperatures well above seasonal averages test the body as well as the mind, and when we get home, women’s work continues, cooking, shopping, cleaning, and caring for children and parents (Italian women “work” an average of 4 hours and 37 minutes on caregiving, while men only 1 hour and 48 minutes).
There are sectors in which women are largely employed, such as textiles or food, where machinery generates additional heat and is not always equipped with air conditioning. What about women who care for the elderly in poorly ventilated apartments, or hospital and nursing home workers who are required to wear gowns or other protective equipment—mostly designed for men—that increases the heat load? Or those who work in agriculture, fruit picking, restaurant kitchens, or café tables, those who have intense work schedules, struggle to take breaks, and have difficulty getting something to drink.
In all workplaces, even in small and medium-sized companies, a careful risk assessment is more necessary than ever, including preventive measures and taking into account the specific characteristics of the female body.
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUI) has long been calling on the EU Commission to adopt a specific directive to prevent heat stress-related risks (the organization estimates that 277,000 cases of heat-related illness and 230 deaths occur annually among European workers). Discussions on the issue finally began in Brussels on July 2nd with the launch of a proposal recognizing that existing protective measures are insufficient to address a risk that is becoming more frequent and severe every year due to climate change.