I love how a lot of people are screaming "EQUALITY, THERE, HAVE IT!!1!" as if any normal woman would beg you to die instead of her just because she's a woman. I'm glad there's equality because I'm no longer a helpless woman that's everyone's burden. The reason for saving women and children first, back in the days of the Titanic, was the simple fact that women mostly didn't know how to swim, they had three tons of layers of clothing, they were considered weaker and unable to survive the cold waters (and they most likely wouldn't survive it. I know I wouldn't), men were needed to operate the boats and help everyone on board (because women couldn't do it) and because a hundred years ago, populations were constantly at risk from diseases (around 6 years later the Spanish flu killed tens of millions of people) and wars so any women that survived the Titanic maybe contributed to the population growth after these disasters. Yes, you need both male and female for reproduction, but one male can make a hundred women pregnant over the course of one month, while one woman has to bear the child for 9 months (which means; 1 male + 100 females + 9 months = 900 children, while 1 woman + 100 males + 9 months = 1 child [excluding the possibility of twins]). So, less females = slower reproduction = risk of "extinction" (alright, humanity wouldn't go extinct just like that, but I guess humans are naturally inclined to avoid any such possible risk, especially in times where a flu could kill you easily).
Today? We don't have these reasons to do so, but people still often rather save women and children. It's a nice gesture, but it's quite redundant. Me being a woman, I most probably wouldn't accept that kind of a help if I can help myself on my own or if I could possibly help others on the way. If I'm injured, I would require help, but not because I'm a woman, but because I'm injured, obviously. Would I give my seat to children? I'm not sure, maybe I would. It's hard for me to grasp the idea that in this time and age such a disaster would occur where you could either save yourself or give your "seat" to someone else. Usually, nowadays, we only have to help the injured ones or the ones that can't move on their own. The days where children and women can't help themselves are quite over, and I'm glad. If, somehow, such disaster occurred, if I was not injured or in any way harmed, I would help the ones that are, small children, pregnant women and disabled people, but I wouldn't outright consciously give up my life for people that are not my family or close friends. And I wouldn't feel good if someone did the same for me. Luckily, the possibility for anyone to end in such situation is drastically low.
