Hurricanes With Female Names Kill More People, Study Claims

Is Joseph scarier than Josephine?

Deeply ingrained gender stereotypes make intense hurricanes with female names deadlier than their male counterparts, possibly because they are perceived to be less violent and threatening than storms with masculine names, according to a study published Monday in a high-profile scientific journal.

The worldwide system of naming tropical storms and hurricanes was developed to improve people’s ability to reference, recall and act based on storm-related information. But if the study's findings are reproduced through other research, it would suggest that the naming system may actually be working against storm preparedness by accidentally tapping into hidden biases about gender roles and characteristics. Read more...