Women As Adept As Men In Fighting Wars: Study

The commonly held notion that women are weak and peacemakers, while men are more likely to be warmongers was reversed by a new research. The study revealed that women have always been present in wars, both ancient and contemporary, but have been generally portrayed as victims of war.

Many examples exist of women who fought as bravely as their male counterparts, but they have not achieved the recognition they deserve, Professor Montserrat Huguet of the Carlos III University of Madrid claimed.

"War is learned, as are so many other trades, and gender is irrelevant here," she explained.

According to the Daily Mail, if they have had an active role, they had often been seen as far from the frontline serving in the rear as ambulance drivers, nurses, prostitutes or spies such as Charlotte Grey.

But history books have often ignored the contribution women soldiers made in actual fighting.

Professor Huguet said although military commanders understood women were equal to male soldiers, they were not deployed because of fears it might be seen as a sign of weakness, or if they did their contribution played down.

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She said that on many occasions women were the ones who incited and promoted armed conflicts, as the rise of nationalist movements during the 19th century demonstrates.

Although men tried to keep women away from the fighting, they also associated women with the feminine ideal of the homeland, conceiving them as mothers of heroes and champions of the nation, the report said.

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"They became what I like to call heroes for around the house," Professor Huguet said.

Source-ANI