Data on human casualties of the April 25 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks made public by Nepali Police shows female deaths have outnumbered male deaths, in an indication that females are more vulnerable in Nepal during the disaster. Nepal Police data released yesterday (May 17, 5 pm) shows of the 8,585 people who lost their lives to the April 25 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks — the biggest on May 12 — 4,281 were females and 3,398 were males. According to gender experts, the traditional role of women could be one of the reasons behind more women losing lives to the disaster. Babita Basnet, president, Media Advocacy Group, said that traditionally women remain busy in household chores hence during the earthquake, they may not get time to escape. “Since childhood, girls are barred from outdoor activities and sports that keep them physically fit and strong, hence during the disaster, they are less likely to cope,” she said, adding, “On top of that, traditional dress such as sari and dhoti also sometimes hinder them from escaping on time.” Sharu Joshi Shrestha of UN Women said there could be various reasons behind more female deaths during the disaster. “We have very less exposure to activities such as running, climbing, swimming, and other activities that make us physically strong. So, during the disaster, females’ death accounts for more,” she said. The report ‘Natural Disasters and Gender Statistics: Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami’ prepared by Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office, Government of Japan in November 2014, after the earthquake and Tsunami in 2011 stated that female casualties outnumber male. A total of 8,363 female and 7,360 male casualties were recorded in total after Japan’s earthquake and Tsunami. It said female casualties outnumber male by around 1,000 and the majority of these additional 1,000 female casualties were aged 70 years or older. Similarly, an Oxfam International report in 2005 said that only one woman for every three men survived the December 2004 Tsunami in the district in Aceh, Indonesia while in the other two districts, women accounted for 77 and 80 percent of deaths. Oxfam International has also revealed that up to four times as many women as men died in the December 26 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Women’s death outnumbered men in the 1991 Bangladesh storm and the 1993 Maharashtra earthquake, according to World Bank 2006.