Does Climate Change Exacerbate Gender Inequality in Cognitive Performance?

• Our study offers the first comprehensive quantitative estimation, to the best of our knowledge, of the differential long-term impacts of temperature on males and females. • Our study offers the first comprehensive quantitative estimation, to the best of our knowledge, of the varying impacts of temperature on males and females. • Our findings indicate that women possess 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 understanding. Furthermore, sleep quality and mental health are found to indirectly contribute to these gender differences . • This research emphasizes that women are not inherently more vulnerable, rather, the interplay of gender, power dynamics, socio-economic structures, and societal norms leads to divergent-experiences of climate impacts for women. 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.