Research finds that women have dirtier workspaces than men

According to new research conducted by the University of Arizona, the desk in your office has much more bacteria than the restroom at work, especially if you are a woman. The average office desktop has 400 times more bacteria than the average office toilet seat, the research says.

The research revealed that women have 300 to 400 percent more bacteria in their workspaces than men do. They have more bacteria on their desks, telephones, keyboards, computers, drawers and personal items, the study found.

The study, commissioned by the Clorox Company (go figure) examined at least 100 offices at the University of Arizona and in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Though the desks in women’s workspaces usually looked cleaner than men’s desks, women’s desks were found to have more knickknacks, cosmetics, and hand lotions. Women also interact more with small children and keep food in their desks more than men do, habits that are conducive to germs in their workspaces. Cosmetics and hand lotions are prime locations for transferring germs and bacteria, as are makeup cases, phones, purses, and desk drawers.

One statistic that I found surprising is that the study found that 75 percent of women had food in their desks, which creates prime habitats for germs and other microorganisms.

Though men also have a substantial amount of germs in their workspaces (though 3 to 4 times less than women do), the research found that the place where men have the most germs at work is in their wallets. Many men keep their wallets in their pockets at work, where it is nice and warm and bacteria thrive. The study also found that men have high levels of bacteria on their personal digital assistants (Palm Pilots), which like cell phones, are like germ and bacteria magnets.

The study’s author, University of Arizona professor Charles Gerba, suggested that men and women regularly use a hand sanitizer and use a disinfectant on office workspace surfaces, as it can reduce bacteria by 25 percent.

I think the lesson to be learned here is that our workplaces apparently are very dirty and we need to show respect for our coworkers by trying to keep the workplace as clean and as germ free as possible.