There is a fascinating piece in the New York Times about gender and masks. It’s no surprise, really, but it’s just interesting to see it finally in black and white.
“Coronavirus Safety Runs Into a Stubborn Barrier: Masculinity.”
Daniel Victor writes about Gallup’s Covid 19 Tracking poll. It tells you pretty much everything you have suspected about mask wearing. Men are less likely to wear them than women.
There is a partisan divide as well.
The Gallup survey says first and foremost women are more concerned about getting Coronavirus than men. That translates to women being more likely to wear masks than men.
The same holds true for social distancing. Women are more likely than men to practice it.
But things get really interesting when you start breaking down political parties.
Republican men are less likely to wear a mask and practice social distancing than Democratic men. They seem to be less concerned about getting Covid-19, too.
And…Republican men are ready to get back to normal far more than Democratic men.
Like I said, none of this surprises me. I do wonder though if President Trump’s recent diagnosis will change any attitudes. Honestly, I doubt it.
Getting back to the New York Times piece about this… you have to consider the fact that more men have been sickened by Coronavirus than women.
Is it because of attitudes? Is it a “macho” thing? That’s the question. Does wearing a mask make a male appear vulnerable and less manly?
Or is it because men tend to take more risks than women? Is that why they don’t wear masks?
So many questions here. Like I said though, we do have evidence now that it’s happening.
I just wish we could find a way to change the attitude.
I was watching “60 Minutes.” Scott Pelley asked a doctor if she had to choose between a mask and a vaccine, which would she choose? Without hesitation, she said, a mask.
We are still deep into this pandemic. It’s not getting better. It might be getting worse. We’re still a ways off from a vaccine. Mask wearing is all we have. Wear one.
As my friend Chris Wallace recently said, “Wear the damn mask.”