The role of gender in flood mortality in European and Mediterranean territories

Abstract This study explores gender disparities in flood mortality across Europe and the Mediterranean, leveraging the Database of Flood Fatalities from the Euro-Mediterranean region (FFEM-DB). It applies a gender lens for the first time to a high-resolution, multinational flood mortality dataset in the region, aiming to examine how gender influences fatality patterns, behaviours, and vulnerabilities, to provide more robust insights into gendered patterns, and to extend the analysis to areas that have received limited attention in previous research. Using data on 2,875 flood fatalities from 12 European and Mediterranean territories (1980–2020), we conducted descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. Gender was cross-tabulated with variables such as age, place of death, activity, incident dynamics and behaviour of the victims. Demographic adjustments were made to account for population structure to refine age- and gender-based comparisons. Males accounted for 61% of known-gender fatalities (m/f ratio = 1.58), a disparity observed across age groups and regions. Male fatalities were found to be more common in high-risk, outdoor settings, exhibiting active behaviours (e.g. fording rivers), while female victims were overrepresented in passive behaviours or indoor settings. These patterns suggest differing exposures and responses to flood risk based on gender and are discussed in detail in comparison with previous research findings, offering a framework of potential explanations.