Not everything is logical. It's "women and children first" because the cultural psychology of organizing men to fight demands it. Pace your husband, It has nothing to do with a man feeling that he is worth more or less than women. A man is expected to step up, not because its logical but because, when a life and death situation comes up, you can't reason your way to doing the brave thing; it has to be an ingrained behavior. There is no chain of logic that would make a sensible person run into gunfire to drag someone to safety, but soldiers do it because, "that's what you do" not because it was sensible. Imagine yourself (a person of either sex) in a dangerous battle or fighting a fire with a team. You would never rely in any way on someone you regarded as a coward, right? And a man who would get in the lifeboat while women and children are still on deck is the canonical example of a coward in our culture. It's not just lifeboats. The guy is the one who investigates when something goes bump in the night. Why? Because it would be shameful to send your wife while you stay in the bedroom cowering. It's not logic---it's a consequence of the symbolism that makes society function.