Does Climate Change Exacerbate Gender Inequality in Cognitive Performance?
利用中国全国代表性数据，研究了气候变化对男女认知表现的不同影响，发现女性对高温的适应能力更强，这种差异主要体现在记忆和应用技能上，且受睡眠质量和心理健康间接影响。
While a considerable amount of research has been conducted on the cognitive effects of climate change, relatively less attention has been given to gender disparities in these effects. This paper utilizes nationally representative data from China to explore how climate change influences cognitive performance across genders. Our findings suggest that women demonstrate a notably stronger capacity to adapt to elevated temperatures. Mechanism analysis reveals that women’s superior adaptation is primarily evident in memory and application skills rather than in comprehension. Moreover, sleep quality and mental health are identified as indirect contributors to these gender differences . Further demographic analysis shows that disparities in the impact of temperature on cognitive performance are more pronounced in urban settings, poorer households, among the elderly, and in colder counties, compared to rural areas, affluent households, younger adults, and warmer counties.