Do you agree? Women and children first?

[Board of Command]

I need to take one baby with me to plug up the bathtub drain with.

[masamuneehs]

If it's a situation where you are trying to save as many people out of a group, you need to make the escape groups as likely to survive as possible.

if you make all the children get into the lifeboat, you really think they'll be able to guide it to shore? or use the flares/tools onboard? You send enough capable men first with the children to protect them.

You don't send all the doctors out on the first train, because do you think the scientists in escape train #2 can patch wounds up if they're hit by enemy fire? You distribute the doctors equally to each.

You don't send only women in an escape pod, because what if it's the only one to survive while the rest of humanity is wiped out?

If it's a situation where you're defending from an opposing threat:
Consolidate all those who can defend themselves to defeat the threat. In a cornered situation, this means getting the babies, invalids, and old geezers out of the way so they won't be distractions. You give no preference based on gender unless it is also a 'humanity wipeout' situation. Focus on defeating the threat.

It's all chaos anyway.
So look out for number one. then find number two, etc.