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More people die in hurricanes named after women because they’re not taken as seriously
At first I thought this must be some kind of satire, but apparently not.
urricanes are named by a pre-determined, alternating order that has nothing to do with the strength of the approaching storm. Scientists developed in the system in the 1970s to avoid the perception of gender bias.
However, the result has been deadly, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences which spanned more than six decades of Atlantic hurricanes.
Researchers at the University of Illinois analyzed data on fatalities from every hurricane that made landfall in the United States from 1950-2012.
"A hurricane with a relatively masculine name is estimated to cause 15.15 deaths, whereas a hurricane with a relatively feminine name is estimated to cause 41.84 deaths," said the study.
"In other words, our model suggests that changing a severe hurricane's name from Charley to Eloise could nearly triple its death toll."
Scientists even disregarded two major storms in their analysis -- Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Hurricane Audrey (1957) -- because they took an outsized number of lives and could have skewed the results.
"In judging the intensity of a storm, people appear to be applying their beliefs about how men and women behave," said co-author Sharon Shavitt, a professor of marketing.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/06/02/more-people-die-in-hurricanes-named-after-women-because-theyre-not-taken-as-seriously/
However, the result has been deadly, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences which spanned more than six decades of Atlantic hurricanes.
Researchers at the University of Illinois analyzed data on fatalities from every hurricane that made landfall in the United States from 1950-2012.
"A hurricane with a relatively masculine name is estimated to cause 15.15 deaths, whereas a hurricane with a relatively feminine name is estimated to cause 41.84 deaths," said the study.
"In other words, our model suggests that changing a severe hurricane's name from Charley to Eloise could nearly triple its death toll."
Scientists even disregarded two major storms in their analysis -- Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Hurricane Audrey (1957) -- because they took an outsized number of lives and could have skewed the results.
"In judging the intensity of a storm, people appear to be applying their beliefs about how men and women behave," said co-author Sharon Shavitt, a professor of marketing.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/06/02/more-people-die-in-hurricanes-named-after-women-because-theyre-not-taken-as-seriously/
16 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Somebody actual had an idea to do research on this 
They should give hurricanes porn titles
Smack Me Harder!
Taking it Twice!
Wet all Over!
