Women tend to take cover or prepare to evacuate sooner, but often have trouble convincing the men in their life to do so, suggests a new study exploring how gender influences disaster response.

The research also found that traditional gender roles tend to resurface in the aftermath of disasters, with women relegated to the important but isolating role of homemaker while men focus on finances and lead community efforts.

Even agencies charged with providing assistance still, at times, ask to speak to the «man of the house,» the researchers found.

«We found that there are many barriers that disadvantage women in the event of a disaster, leaving them behind when it comes to decision-making and potentially slowing down their recovery,» said lead author Melissa Villarreal, a PhD student in the Department of Sociology and research assistant at the Natural Hazards Center.

For the study, co-authored by Texas A&M University Assistant Professor Michelle Meyer and published in the journal Disasters, the researchers analyzed in-depth interviews with 33 women and 10 men across two Texas towns. Some were from Granbury, which in 2013 was hit by an EF-4 tornado that killed six and cut a mile-wide swath of destruction, damaging 600 homes. Others were from West, where an explosion at a fertilizer company that same year killed 15 and destroyed 100 homes.

Residents were asked about their experiences in the midst of and the year after the disaster. While the circumstances surrounding the events were very different, common gender-influenced patterns emerged.

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Materials provided by University of Colorado at Boulder. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.