Recent study shows women wash their hands more
With all of the antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizers available, students might be surprised to find that they are not always being put to use.
A recent study from Time.com found that 33 percent of men do not wash their hands after using the bathroom, compared with 12 percent of women.
Time.com also reported that a similar study was conducted in 2005. Since then, hand washing has decreased by 6 percent.
On Sept. 28, two Campus Press reporters tried to re-create the study inside the UMC bathrooms. A male and female reporter stood inside their respective bathrooms to count how many CU students washed their hands in eight minutes.
The results showed 18 out of 21 women had washed their hands while only 15 out of 20 men had.
“Hand washing is more like a reflex,” said Kaitlyn Sheehan, a sophomore anthropology major. “It’s like putting on your seatbelt when you get into a car. It’s just one of those things you are taught to do from the start and after so many years you don’t even think about it.”
According to CNN.com, another hand washing study was done at Turner Field baseball stadium in Atlanta.
This time, 57 percent of men washed their hands, compared to 95 percent of women. Once again, the study suggests that hand washing isn’t as much of a priority to males.
“My hands are clean,” said Samuel Carey, a senior marketing major. “They are never that dirty.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Jennifer Jacobs at jennifer.l.jacobs@colorado.edu.
