3:13PM
Sex Roles: In and Out
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at 3:13PM | by Otter 
Mythbusters is one of the coolest shows on television.
One of their episodes tested the (false) rumor that a cell-phone can set off an explosion at a gas-station.
But static electricity, generated by getting in and out of one's vehicle, can.
The Mythbusters determined by observation that once the pump is running, women get in and out of their cars six times more often than men, creating static electricity build-up that discharges as a spark that ignites gas. Also, spark-generated gas-station fires are only caused 22% of the time by men.
What gives? What cultural or evolutionary quirk makes women get in and out of their vehicles so much more often than men?
tagged Gender, Mythbusters, Sex Roles in Media, Movies and T.V.
Gender, Mythbusters, Sex Roles in Media, Movies and T.V. 
Reader Comments (10)
Multi-tasking.
No, seriously. Most of the time, men carry a wallet on their person. Women have the credit/debit card in their purse. So we get it out while we're in the car, go swipe, get the pump going and go to replace the card. I would also guess that women have kids in the car
screaming forpolitely requesting something a greater percentage of the time.Other potential reasons: It's too cold outside. It's too hot outside. It's too windy outside. I'm in the middle of a really good audiobook. =)
We like to exercise, unlike you male slugs who just sit there and listen to the radio.
But really, I don't get in and out of my car and never have. It's easier to just stand there and do deep knee bends. :-P
*cough*
Hmm. P'r'aps. So it's not some weird nesting thing, right?
Rachel, I can't relate. I always get my cc out of my wallet before I get out of the car. I swipe it, put the card in my pocket so I don't lose it, and stand there freezing my arse off while the tank fills, hoping the stupid machine has paper so I get a receipt.
Or I just smile a lot and ask my husband to fill the tank for me the next time he's out. That method works equally well.
Also, is Luke of Sonlight fame offended by the subtitle of this post? (If he is, I, for one, have NO idea why. . . .)
The comment that was supposed to precede the "also" comment:
Ditto Natalie, excepting only the desire for a paper receipt.
I have heard of the static electricity + pumping gas = FIRE! equation but have never wrapped my head around the science of it, so I am usually worrying about spontaneous combustion while freezing my arse off . . . which makes me a multi-tasker after all, I suppose.
I hear you all, here... But I wonder if there's a biological reason too. Do you think that evolution has conditioned women to feel more vulnerable? Maybe that semi-consciously the car offers a refuge?
You might have a point. When I'm at a gas station at night or something I sometimes feel a little vulnerable.
But mostly my purse and wallet ride shotgun and I have to put my card away before I accidentally throw it away with my McDonald's bags. :)
I know, I'm coming late to this discussion (I blame the crush of year-end activity), and I have only this paltry offering:
It has nothing to do with static. Women cause more gas station explosions because... Dude! They're HOT!
Izzy, who's your crush of the year, and what end activity have you been doing in respect thereunto?
And word.