To wonder if women and children should be evacuated first?

[lesley33]

I have been reading about the recent sinking of the Italian cruise ship and one thing that struck me was the passengers complaining that womena nd children weren't evacuated first. Now many would agree that children should be evacuated first. But should women be evacuated before men?

If I was on a sinking ship I would want to be evacuated early on. But really AIBU to think there is no real reason why I should be evacuated ahead of a male passenger?

YANBU - children yes but why should women go ahead of men?? One for all and all for one and all that!

You're right from an equality point of view. Only thing I suppose is whether women would actually not be treated equally but pushed aside by stronger men (or forced to wait by men who saw them as less important) and in fact the removal of the rule would mean inequality in the opposite direction rather than true equality? No idea - just musing.

Agree on the point about children.

Women on their own, no, YANBU.

Perhaps the rule should be more like "small children and an adult, single guardian first".

As I understood it, it was supposed to be women, children and men with families/small children, i.e. those with dependents that were prioritized.

Men are generally bigger and may be more able to survive in the freezing waters and swim to land.

Maybe it should be children and 1 parent first and the stronger swimmer stays. Survival of the fittest and all that jazz

I'd rather DH was evacuated with DD first in this instance - he's a far stronger swimmer than I and if DD's going to end up in the water with anyone, she'd be better off with him than me

Send all the children off in the lifeboat with one of the cabin crew and make the women leave last.

yeah?

or maybe send the children (Who might not be able to fend for themselves) with their primary carer.

Anyone with a child should go first regardless of their sex.

Actually not necessarily first, if there are disabled/other vulnerable people to consider....but sex shouldn't come into it.

yuleing - not all women will have young children.

I wondered if the women and children first is sometimes a shorthand reference to women WITH children i.e. you couldn't get all children off without a parent. In times of Titanic etc, then class/attitudes to gender probably meant it became all women.

Interesting because I thought there was some evidence that women can survive better than men in survival situations.

The idea of children being left without parents is pretty grim though and young children would be terrified if not accompanied by a parent. I suppose what ever rule you have in this situation would piss someone off.

It should be parent and child, elderly and disabled first.

What about the elderly and the disabled of whatever sex?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_and_children_first_(saying)

Especially if that child is a young child, or has SEN that they would need their parent with them.

Agree, children plus their carer (either sex) first.

What's a 'child' in this case?

Up to age 18?

16?

Hmm... I can just imagine a life guard checking passports by the lifeboats...

So I'd be leaving my 17 year old dd behind whilst I get off with my 3 yr old, her brother? I don't think I could do that

Would probably judge based on who looked a child

It should be vulnerable groups (children, those with SN, disabled, elderly, pregnant) first, with carers as appropriate, sex of carer irrelevant. Children, those with SN and the disabled might all need a carer, along with particularly elderly people. Basically the ones last should be those most able to survive in the water should it come to that, so fit and healthy adults of either sex.

I can just imagine the riot if you tried to split the children from parents and sent them off in a lifeboat with a crewmember!

I'll be honest, the whole women and children first thing has always bothered me - watching Titanic brings me out in a cold sweat at the thought of going off in a lifeboat and leaving my husband on the boat. Ugh it just has now! Ideally I would like to see 'families first'. But then I think about my brother who is fit and healthy and has no children, why should he be last?

Argh - I think it's best I don't think about it!

So what would you do olympia? Say your DD was 19 and certainly not a child?

A 17 yo is usually stronger than an elderly person or a disabled one.