Some Like it Cold
"...IMO about 18 degrees C is about right..."
Spot on.
In my last job I'd set the thermostat to 18°C, only to have the woman I worked with shove it onto 24°C, the minute my back was turned. I'd be sweltering in a T-shirt and she'd be sitting with a woolly jersey on. In the end we compromised on 20°C which, while not ideal, was 'not-quite-as-uncomfortable' for us both.
Also agree with the comments about 'selfish' people who should put more clothes on, if they're cold. I find being too hot really, really unpleasant. Sitting there feeling your face flushing red and sweat trickling down your back, worrying if you're going to smart 'whiffing' a bit –just because some other fecker doesn't want to look slightly less stylish by putting a jersey on.
The gender thing is interesting though. I've already mentioned my [female] work colleague above. At home, it's the same scenario. I never have the heating on, even in winter, and am usually fine with a T-shirt on or, if it's a really cold day, maybe a sweatshirt. The missus tends to go into semi-hibernation mode, sitting on the sofa with a throw rug wrapped round her shoulders, complaining about the cold.I used to think she was just being soft, but maybe there is something in this gender difference, after all.
I also think modern heating systems have a lot to answer for. When I was a nipper we had a coal fire. If you were too cold you sat nearer to it. If you were too warm you moved further away. So everyone could find their own 'sweet spot' in the room. Now, with central heating and AC everywhere we're all forced into accepting a one-size-fits-all compromise temperature, that evidently doesn't please anyone.
[And, as a final aside, I've done the 'kilt thing' many a time in the summer and even to work on a couple of occasions. All I can say is that the way a lot of women behave towards you when you wear a kilt would have a bloke sacked and probably facing sexual assault charges, if the genders were reversed.
It's definitely one law for people who don't have dangly bits in their skirts and another law for those that do!]