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Researchers from Sweden’s Uppsala University have recently released some findings of a rather interesting study that dispel popular beliefs dating back to the Titanic about the anatomy of shipwreck survival.
According to the study, titled “Every Man for Himself: Gender, Norms and Survival in Maritime Disasters“, researchers found that in the case of a maritime disaster the age-old ‘women and children first’ does not hold, and in reality is more like ‘every man for himself’. In fact, women and children have substantially lower chance of survival than men, particularly than that of the captain and crew, the study finds.
In order to come to this conclusion the study’s authors, economists Mikael Elinder and Oscar Erixson, analyzed data based on 18 of the most notable shipwrecks during the period 1852 to 2011 with information on the fates of more than 15,000 people with one, well two, critical-yet-obvious exceptions; the RMS Titanic and RMS Lusitania. Why not include these? Simply put, the Titanic (and RMS Lusitania) disasters were exceptional.
The report states that on the ships where the captain gave the order ‘women and children first’, i.e. Titanic and Lusitania, the difference in survival rates between men and women is lower, but the study found that women survived to a higher extent than men only when this order was enforced by the threat of violence. This, however, is rare and by including the two aforementioned exceptions the results get severely skewed.
Specifically, the study shows that women have a significantly lower chance of survival than men (17.8% vs. 34.5%), children have the lowest chance of survival, and captain and crew are 18.7% more likely to survive than passengers.
But why are crew members more likely to survive?
Here’s the real zinger. The study found that, and we’re pretty sure some of you will disagree here, it is actually common that captains leave the ship and save themselves before overseeing the safe rescue of all passengers. Remember they said it not me, IT IS COMMON TO HAVE CAPTAINS AND CREW SAVE THEMSELVES BEFORE PASSENGERS.
Therefore, according to the study anyway, our favorite scapegoat Captain Francesco Schettino in the case of the Costa Concordia disaster is not at all an exception, but rather quite common in maritime disasters.
So what does this study mean?
Well, according to the reports findings, this indicates an important role of leaders in the face of disasters, and more widely, how this contributes to our understanding of how people behave under extreme stress and when it is a matter of life and death.
Survival rates of passengers and crew (survival rates of children is only available for 9 shipwrecks in Main Sample (MS))
Download Paper: Every Man for Himself: Gender, Norms and Survival in Maritime Disasters
As a Muster Station Leader, I knew I had the lives of 155 passengers and crew in my hands. But I preferred being in a lifeboat rather than bouncing round the ocean in a liferaft with 24 other crew members. I was trained to load the lifeboat with the elderly and families with children first; then adults of either sex next. There is no women and children first. Plus, if someone passes away in the lifeboat, their body goes overboard and no use of emergency water, supplies, etc. within the first 24 hours. A Muster Station Leader, along with two other assistants, are in control of loading the lifeboat. There are usually an additional three crew members trained in lifeboat operations, so six crew for each lifeboat holding 150 passengers.
I recommend they also research the "Birkenhead Drill" from the days when men were men. There is even a brewery in Stanford making excellent beer named for this gallant vessel and it's crew of real men.
"Eventually two cutters and a gig were launched and the women and children were rowed away from the wreck to safety. The horses were cut loose and Captain Salmond shouted to his men that everyone who could swim, must save himself by jumping overboard and to make for the boats.
At this order, Lieutenant-Colonel Seton commanded his men to stand fast, for should they make for the boats, they would endanger the lives of the women and children.
The Birkenhead has secured a place in history due to the gallantry of her men, who, in the face of great danger, allowed the women and children to escape in the boats before trying to save themselves. "The Birkenhead Drill" – Women and children first!
Baie interessant, Louis. Alana, my oudste, is vandag op die ferry vanaf Belfast na Birkenhead (ja, die einste) in Liverpool. Bid dat die ferry nie sink nie!!
they do not know about the birkenhead, as you have mentioned, one of the most famous wrecks of all! – do they know where southern africa is? must be american…
“We have added data for one shipwreck occurring
before 1854, HMS Birkenhead (1852), since the Birkenhead is often referred to as giving rise
to the expression ‘women and children first’”¨
Page 2, so you kind of miss the mark by a mile.
The Gallantry was provided by the Military personnel – well the Lt-Col threatening to kill the rank and file might have had a decisive influence on their level of gallantry displayed – that where passengers rather than by the crew, a crew that survived in a far greater proportion than the poor sods they where suppose to save.
Sadly most people go through life with their eyes wide shut. Soos daai engelsman sou sê.
The first thing that came to my mind when I was going through the above article.
I LIKE YOUR SIDE VERY NICE THYOU.
I would say the problem is the type of disasters that were studied. Large disasters are disasters where everything went wrong and they are actually very rare. For further discussion see http://www.martinottaway.com/blog.
I would say the problem is the type of disasters that were studied. Large disasters are disasters where everything went wrong and they are actually very rare. For further discussion see http://www.martinottaway.com/blog.
great article! Thanks!