Female vs. Male Elderly Tandems

[TiaDanger 0]

I have a Google alert sent to my email everyday for anything that has been published about skydiving. Over the top? Probably. I've noticed an interesting observation- when an article comes up about a 75, 80, 85 year old doing a tandem, its more often than not a women instead of a man. And many times reading the article, it was the husband that bought the skydive for the wife, but didn't go himself. My loaded question is, why do more old ladies skydive than old men?

Is it that there are more women alive than men at that age? Is it that elderly women have less reservations about jumping than their male counterparts? Are they in better shape to survive a tandem? Is it just a bias in reporting, thinking that its 'more special' that a little old lady jumps rather than an old man?

Any other ideas?

And for the record: the appropriate ranking of cool modes of transportation is jet pack, hover board, transporter, Batmobile, and THEN giant ant.
D.S. #8.8

[Ketia0 0]

Quote

its more often than not a women instead of a man. And many times reading the article, it was the husband that bought the skydive for the wife, but didn't go himself.

They know thats thier one and only chance to get rid of her and it be an "accident"

Plus with the life insurance money he can always get a younger version.

"In this game you can't predict the future. You just have to play the odds. "-JohnMitchell

[labrys 0]

Quote

Plus with the life insurance money he can always get a younger version.

Given age demographics, it's a lot more likely that he's dead and she's finally out having some fun.

There are a lot more women in that age bracket than men....

Owned by Remi #?

[TiaDanger 0]

And I was also going to add that it would be nice to hear from some of the videographers who've video'ed the blue hairs. What do they say when you ask them why they decided to jump? It would be interesting if there was a difference or pattern to male vs. female answers.

And for the record: the appropriate ranking of cool modes of transportation is jet pack, hover board, transporter, Batmobile, and THEN giant ant.
D.S. #8.8

[wmw999 2,120]

I know that when my father (85 at the time) was asked how skydiving ranked on a 1-10 scale, he replied, after thinking about it for about 5 seconds, that it was about a 7. I'd say that meant he was pretty doggone happy with his life.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Arvoitus 1]

More women alive them men, at least in Finland. I imagine its somewhat same all around the world.

Your rights end where my feelings begin.

[PiLFy 0]

"Is it that there are more women alive than men at that age?"

Bingo.

[propacker 0]

am I reading your graph correctly??? 85% of the people in Finland are 100 year old women..

[Arvoitus 1]

No the y-axis title is misleading/confusing. It means the % of people in the corresponding age bracket.

So out of the people over the age of 100, 85% are women.

Your rights end where my feelings begin.

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

Is it just a bias in reporting, thinking that its 'more special' that a little old lady jumps rather than an old man?

I'm sure this bias is a portion of it. That and the lower life expectancy for men born in the 30s. You have to get past that to see if there really is a difference in desire. From that generation, there was a much greater notion that 'women don't do these sort of things' and it wouldn't surprise me if the grandmas are rebelling against that now.

I've been on planeloads with 3 generations of men (son, father, grandfather) and others with 3 gens of women.

[NickDG 23]

Tandem, however Ted and Bill envisioned it, is only and was only good for the the blind, and the otherwise physically handicapped. It wasn't meant for those with no balls and who were scared shitless. But because we made it cheap and oh so easy is why the sky is now full of people who are most liable to panic. They will always zig, when you think, they will zag, and kill you . . .

NickD

[TheCaptain 2]

I really have not kept track but I would say that I have taken about an even number of older men compared to older women.

Kirk
He's dead Jim

[NewGuy2005 51]

Quote

There are a lot more women in that age bracket than men....

Because they have worked their husbands to death!!

[labrys 0]

Quote

Because they have worked their husbands to death!! ***

Yo, those are the dudes who insisted that women be subservient while they ruled the roost. They couldn't have it both ways.

Perhaps when male culture chooses to stop trying to be dominant and embraces a culture that accepts the strengths and weaknesses of both genders without making one gender more important, men will start to live longer, more productive lives. Just sayin'

Owned by Remi #?

[Guru312 0]

Quote

...It wasn't meant for those with no balls and who were scared shitless. ...
NickD

Good point...

I see skydiving as a metaphor for life. Packing one's own parachute and jumping out of a perfectly good airplane makes a pretty strong statement of taking charge of your own life.

When I started jumping in 1960 it was a requirement of the club where I learned to jump that everyone jumped their own packing.

Tandem jumping, at any age or gender, is about as far away from that as possible.

Can anyone direct me to a website or other stats which shows how many tandem students stay with the sport as compared to those who make a S/L or AFF jump? I'd guess the numbers will indicate most people see tandems as a carnival ride...as opposed to a philosophy or way of viewing life.

Damn, I'm getting old...

Guru312

I am not DB Cooper

[Guru312 0]

Quote

Any other ideas?

Well, yeah...

I just took a long walk and spent some time thinking about my post to this thread earlier. And I just re-read it.

I want to apologize to the world for such a pompous and arrogant post. I wrote that I consider jumping as a metaphor for life and everyone should 'pack their own parachute' as they go through life.

My elitist comments totally disregard the shear pleasure, excitement and feeling of personal accomplishment people feel when they make that tandem jump. Their accomplishment of making that jump must be been seen through their eyes...not mine or anyone else posting here on DZ.com.

They may be tandem jumping simply to check-off 'skydive' on their bucket list but that doesn't detract from the balls it takes to jump out of an airplane.

Tandem jumping allows the elderly, blind or otherwise disabled to experience a freedom they could never feel in any other way.

Long walks allow me to reflect on the things I've said or done over the course of the day. I think I was blind to this subject from a non-jumper's perspective. The more I think about it the more I realize how cool it is that a senior citizen--male or female-- would want to skydive. Without tandem, they'd never be able to make a jump.

Guru312

I am not DB Cooper

[JohnMitchell 14]

Quote

Tandem, however Ted and Bill envisioned it

OMG, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure!

I can't believe I never noticed that before.

A coincidence? I think not.

[JerryBaumchen 1,047]

Hi Arvoitus,

So what is the best time of the year to visit Finland?

Tickets cannot be that expensive.

JerryBaumchen

[skypuppy 1]

Yeah, but you also probably read articles every now and then about people in the 70's or 80's as experienced or as s/l student jumpers. And I'm guessing by far the majority of those would be men. So I guess if it's a total neophyte to the sport as elderly women maybe, they do tandem. But if it's someone who did a jump or two during WWII or was active in something else and wants to be in control, they might choose a different route....

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[skyrider 0]

Look at it this way, most men after 60 have bad backs from working physical jobs, or hobbies, by age 80, the numbers of injured men is even higher...

[NewGuy2005 51]

Quote

Quote

Because they have worked their husbands to death!! ***

Yo, those are the dudes who insisted that women be subservient while they ruled the roost. They couldn't have it both ways.

Perhaps when male culture chooses to stop trying to be dominant and embraces a culture that accepts the strengths and weaknesses of both genders without making one gender more important, men will start to live longer, more productive lives. Just sayin'

OK: Which one of us has a sense of humor and which one doesn't??