Hurricanes with female names more deadly as taken less seriously?

Researchers in the US have made the surprising discovery that female-named hurricanes are more deadly than their male-named counterparts.

The researchers did not find that hurricanes with female names were more severe, but instead proposed the idea that people do not perceive female-named hurricanes to be as dangerous as hurricanes with male names.

In their report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists said:

“Feminine-named hurricanes (vs. masculine-named hurricanes) cause significantly more deaths, apparently because they lead to a lower perceived risk and consequently less preparedness”

The researchers came to this conclusion after studying hurricane fatalities for all storms that made landfall in the US between 1950 and 2012, excluding 2005’s Hurricane Katrina and 1957’s Hurricane Audrey as they were outliers and much deadlier than the norm.

While gender stereotypes may lead us to misinterpret the the world around us and the information provided by authorities, some critics have raised the issue of data inconsistencies, with hurricanes given female names since 1950, but male names only introduced in 1979. This could have biased the data, as in general hurricanes have become less deadly over time.

Nevertheless, the team conclude:

“This finding indicates an unfortunate and unintended consequence of the gendered naming of hurricanes, with important implications for policymakers, media practitioners, and the general public concerning hurricane communication and preparedness.”