A Sex Role Stereotype Could Get You Killed

What's in a name- maybe untimely risk and possibly death! I never saw this coming but on a certain level it makes sense!  A new report looking at dangerous hurricanes has revealed something very interesting.

The National Academy of Sciences looked at the 47 most damaging hurricanes (excluding hurricanes Katrina and Audrey) between 1950 and 2012. They found on average, female-named storms killed 45 people, while equally aggressive male-named storms killed an average of 23 people.

So far, so what? Just coincidence?  The what is, What if people didn't take the proper precautions because the storm was named for a girl and thus they didn't take the threat seriously enough compared to male names storms!?!

Study co-author Sharon Shavitt told the Washington Post, "People imagining a 'female' hurricane were not as willing to seek shelter. The stereotypes that underlie these judgments are subtle and not necessarily hostile toward women — they may involve viewing women as warmer and less aggressive than men."

Still, researchers note this is just the outcome of one study, and so far do not suggest the policy surrounding hurricane names be changed. (Cosmopolitan)