This is something I found on Tumblr:
I also found this on Flickr (image license):
This image was posted to Reddit:
Does this claim have any scientific basis at all?
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7maybe men are 6 times more likely to be in a position to be struck by lightning – ratchet freak Mar 16 '12 at 17:54
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4Men are taller and play more golf? – Brian M. Hunt Mar 16 '12 at 20:55
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3It doesn't sound unreasonable... Men are more likely (at least historically) to be outdoors doing outdoor activities than are women. – M. Werner Mar 16 '12 at 19:04
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2I tend to think that Brian Hunt is on to something, it's all about the golf – Monkey Tuesday Mar 16 '12 at 23:08
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Maybe because men are (on average) taller than women? – Sam I Am Mar 17 '12 at 23:48
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1But who's more likely to be struck by women: men or women? – samthebrand Mar 21 '12 at 16:37
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1I'm guessing that fishing and hunting tremendously increases changes of getting struck by a lightning. – vartec Mar 22 '12 at 14:51
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Why did this question get changed again to lightning when it was clearly asked about lighting? – Chad Mar 30 '12 at 12:38
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Deflector boobs! – mgarciaisaia Jan 26 '16 at 23:05
1 Answers
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The numbers may not be right, but the tendency is.
The fact that men are more likely to be struck by lightning than women is backed up by several scientific studies. NASA backs this up but says that it is four times as many men as women. NOAA has a very detailed breakdown of lightning strikes:
In summary, males are killed 4.6 times as often as females, and are 5.3 times as likely as females to be injured.
All of these figures are for the US, of course.
DJClayworth
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4The question didn't ask for a reason why, but I have heard that men are more likely to be playing golf and holding the club in the air makes a great lightning rod. One would have to look at the number of strikes of golfers vs the total strikes to see if it had a significant effect on the numbers. – pfyon Mar 18 '12 at 04:05
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@Nils: That bolt of electricity has already bridged several miles of air gap. Do few inches of height make so much of a difference? – Piskvor left the building May 03 '12 at 19:08
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1We men are more prone to be outside fixing the TV's antenna for that "game of the year" during a thunderstorm. That alone should explain the statistics :) – T. Sar Oct 13 '14 at 19:24
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1Would be interesting to note if it actually means that men are more likely, given identical circumstances, or whether it means that men are more likely to be engaging in activities or put themselves in situations where there is a higher risk of being struck. If I try to eke out extra golf vs my wife who doesn't golf at all, it doesn't mean I'm more likely to be struck if we're doing the same activities. So.... what @TSar said. But, that would mean that "get struck more" or "get struck at a greater per population rate" does not necessarily mean "more likely" in a controlled situation. – PoloHoleSet Apr 20 '17 at 15:04