BBC More or less - are women more likely to die in disasters?

[Nothingeverything]

The answer was yes, slightly more likely to die than men in developing countries due to factors such as

• being unable to access early warnings (women much less likely to have a phone)
• being unwilling to use shelters/evacuate due to fear of sexual assaults. One woman's daughter was evacuated to another area and came back pregnant so now she also has to protect her grandchild. 🥲
• being less likely to be able to swim and climb as they were not allowed to do it as children

Of course, the first expert they interviewed was quick to point out that transgender people are at a greater risk. So of course, the presenter queried how gender identity affected these issues. Well actually no. It was just accepted as truth as usual. 🙄 So much for investigative journalism.

I remember reports from the Herald of Free Enterprise that there were young men scrambling over other people to get out, not helping anyone. This may be erroneous but that was scuttlebutt around Dover at the time.

I can't find a link, but remember hearing about plane crash survivors who escaped by just running over everyone else, they were all young men and apparently had to live with survivor guilt afterwards.

Personal observation only, but I would suggest that young men, between 16 and 26 are the most selfish demographic on the planet. I can well imagine the majority of them running over others to survive.

@TempestTost "How would that affect the male/female survival rate?"

The Estonia listed heavily very quickly (and I think capsized before sinking). According to survivors, you needed brute strength to climb up the hallways and upside down staircases. Also, no time, so whoever was down in the cheap accomodation had little time to get to the deck.

It's not that men are evil, but in a panic situation the evolutionary instinct to survive kicks in, and people would climb over each other to reach the door. It's not steered by the brain. I have been in a panic situation, and you're a passenger in your own body, watching what is happening.
Since men are stronger, they get out first.

The Wikipedia article on Estonia explains this a bit /links on.

Men will & have pushed women out of the way to get out of dangerous situations.

The Manchester Airport airplane fire was one example.

At least it wasn't drag queens! The BBC seem obsessed with them.

Ah yes, I see.

And I agree, I don't think it's anything to do with being evil. Overcoming panic in people in situations like this requires quite a lot of discipline ahead of the incident.

The Titanic operated the 'Birkenhead drill' which was women and children first, from the Birkenhead disaster off the coast of S. Africa, where the men - soldiers - lined up on deck whilst the women and children (their wives and children) were put in the boats. The men had to swim, avoiding the sharks. Most survived.
The idea was that the men had a better chance of swimming ashore because of clothing and strength. Still true today, I think.
British registered ships were expected to follow this example - whether they did is moot.

And haven't there been natural disasters, I'm thinking most recently of the earthquake in Nepal, where children are documented as surviving the disaster but then mysteriously disappearing afterwards?